Elimination games for gaming machines

ABSTRACT

A disclosed gaming machine presents an elimination game to a player playing the gaming machine. The elimination game may be played on a stand-alone gaming machine or may be played on a group of gaming machines linked together. The elimination game is played by plurality of entities where each entity may comprise one or more virtual players or real players. The real players may pay a participation fee to play the elimination game. During the elimination game, the entities play one or more games that are provided as part of the elimination game. For example, video slot games and video poker games may be used for the game play in the elimination game. One or more elimination tests may be applied to the entities using results from the game play. When conditions used in the elimination tests are met for one of the entities, the entity is removed from the elimination game before reaching the finish of the elimination game. The last remaining entity that avoids elimination and reaches the finish of the elimination receives an award.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of Ser. No. 10/176,171, filed Jun.19, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,485,043, the disclosure of which isincorporated by reference herein for all purposes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to game playing methods for gaming machines suchas slot machines and video poker machines. More particularly, thepresent invention relates to methods of allowing game players to playelimination games on a gaming machine.

There are a wide variety of devices that can comprise a gaming machinesuch as a slot machine or video poker machine. Some examples of thesedevices are lights, slot reels, ticket printers, card readers, speakers,bill validators, coin acceptors, display panels, key pads, bonus wheels,and button pads. These devices provide many of the features which allowa gaming machine to present a game. Some of these devices are built intothe gaming machine. Often, a number of devices are grouped together in aseparate box that is placed on top of the gaming machine. Devices ofthis type are commonly called a top box.

Typically, utilizing a master gaming controller, the gaming machinecontrols various combinations of devices that allow a player to play agame of chance on the gaming machine and also encourage game play on thegaming machine. For example, a game played on a gaming machine usuallyrequires a player to input money or indicia of credit into the gamingmachine, indicate a wager amount, and initiate a game play. These stepsrequire the gaming machine to operate input devices including billvalidators and coin acceptors to accept money into the gaming machineand recognize user inputs from devices including key pads and buttonpads to determine the wager amount and initiate game play.

After a game of chance has been initiated on the gaming machine, thegaming machine determines a game outcome and presents the outcome of thegame to a player. For example, for a slot game, after a player hasinitiated a game by pressing an input button or pulling a handleattached to the gaming machine, the gaming machine determines a gameoutcome which is the final position of each reel on the slot machine. Arequirement for most gaming machines is that the probability of eachgame outcome is precisely known and remains constant during game play.Thus, when a player plays two or more games on a gaming machine theprobability of a particular game outcome is the same for each game thatthe player initiates.

After the gaming machine determines the game outcome, the outcome of thegame is presented to the player. For the slot game, the game outcomepresentation might include a number reels spinning, visual effectsincluding flashing or strobing lights and auditory effects includingbells and whistles. The game outcome presentation, including the variousvisual and auditory effects, is designed to add excitement to the gamebeing played on the gaming machine and encourage additional game play.

Usually near the end of the game outcome presentation, the game outcomeis presented. For example, for the slot game, the reels stop at a finalposition. Based on the game outcome, the gaming machine may notify theplayer of an award of a varying amount or notify the player that thewager made on the game was lost. For example, for a slot game with threeslot reels, when the final position of each reel corresponds to thedisplay of an identical symbol including three cherries, three bars orthe like, a player might be awarded a credit of 5 times the initialwager made on the game. However, other symbol combinations including 2cherries and a bar or two bars and a cherry might result in a loss ofthe wager made on the game. Further, each time a player plays a game theprobability of a particular game outcome such as three cherries or threebars will usually be the same. After the game outcome has beenpresented, a player may initiate a new game by making a new wager on thegaming machine and initiating the next game play.

In addition to the game of chance on the gaming machine on the gamingmachine, a player may also be presented a bonus game. The bonus game maybe used to add additional excitement to the play of games on the gamingmachine. In bonus games, which are particular popular with video slotgames, the player is offered the chance to win an additional awardamount. The bonus game may be triggered by different events that occurduring the play of the game of chance. For instance, in a slot game, aparticular symbol or combination of symbols appearing on the reels maytrigger the bonus game.

The bonus game may incorporate additional animations that are displayedon one or more video displays on the gaming machine and the activationof one or more peripheral devices associated with the gaming machine.For example, Wheel-of-Fortune™ by IGT (Reno, Nev.) is a very popularbonus game that incorporates a large spinning wheel attached to thegaming machine. When the bonus game is triggered, the wheel spins up.The bonus may be awarded according to the stopping place of the wheel.

The amount of game play on a gaming machine is usually a function of thetype of game of chance. A few examples of games that are played on videogaming machines are slot games, poker, black jack, and keno. Among thesegames, slot games and video poker are probably the most popular. Thetype of bonus games offered with the game of chance may also influencethe popularity of a particular game. A casino typically offers varioustypes of games and bonus games because many game players are attractedto some games but dislike others. When a player wants to play a game ona gaming machine but does not like any of the offered games, this personmay choose not to play. Also, when a player finds a particular game onlymildly exciting, the player may become disinterested after a short timeand cease their game play. Thus, to increase game play, new games ofchance and bonus games are desired that may attract players previouslyuninterested in game play on a gaming machine. Accordingly, to attractnew players, new games for gaming machines are desired that are excitingand are interesting enough to hold a player's interest over a longperiod of time.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention addresses the needs indicated above by providing anelimination game that may be played on a stand-alone gaming machine orthat may be played on a group of gaming machines linked together. Theelimination game is played by plurality of entities where each entitymay comprise one or more virtual players or real players. The realplayers may pay a participation fee to play the elimination game. Duringthe elimination game, the entities play one or more games that areprovided as part of the elimination game. For example, video slot gamesand video poker games may be used for the game play in the eliminationgame. One or more elimination tests may be applied to the entities usingresults from the game play. When conditions used in the eliminationtests are met for one of the entities, the entity is removed from theelimination game before reaching the finish of the elimination game.Entities that avoid elimination and reach the finish of the eliminationmay receive an award.

One aspect of the present invention is a method of providing anelimination game on one or more gaming machines. The elimination gamemethod may be generally characterized as comprising: (i) enrolling aplurality of entities for the elimination game where each entitycomprises one or more players; (ii) receiving a participation fee forthe elimination game from at least one of the players; (iii) between astart of the elimination game and a finish of the elimination game,generating at least one elimination game round, the one elimination gameround comprising: (a) providing a game that is played by a number of theplurality entities; (b) based upon results of the game, applying anelimination test to each entity of the number of plurality of entities;(c) for each entity of the number of plurality of entities, when one ormore conditions of the elimination test are met, removing the entityfrom the elimination game before the entity has reached the finish ofthe elimination game; and (iv) indicating a finishing award to at leastone of the entities that has reached the finish of the elimination gameand has satisfied the conditions necessary to earn the finishing award.

In particular embodiments of the present invention, the composition ofthe entities may vary. For example, each of the plurality of entitiesmay comprise a single player. The single player may be a virtual player.In the elimination game, entities may comprise a plurality of players orentities may comprise only a single player where entities with multipleplayers and entities with a single player may play the elimination gameat the same time. In entities with multiple players, all the players maybe real players, all the players may be virtual players or the playersmay be a mixture of real players and virtual players.

For entities with a plurality of players, the elimination game methodmay also comprise providing a game that is played by each player; basedupon results of the game, applying an elimination test to each of theplayers; when one or more conditions of the elimination test are met,removing the player from the elimination game before the player hasreached the finish of the elimination game. In addition, when playersare removed from entities with the plurality of players, the method mayalso comprise: 1) removing one player in the plurality of players of afirst entity from the elimination game and not removing the first entityfrom the elimination game, 2) after removing the one player from thefirst entity, providing a game that is played by a number of playersremaining in the first entity and indicating an award for the number ofplayers remaining in the first entity and the one removed player, 3)removing one player in the plurality of players of a first entity fromthe elimination game and removing the first entity from the eliminationgame. Depending on the rules of the elimination game, the participationfee to play the elimination game may increase as a number of players inan entity increases. For instance, when increasing the number of playersin an entity provides an advantage in the elimination game, theparticipation fee may increase as the number of players in the entityincreases.

In other embodiments, the participation fee may be a wager on an outcomeof the elimination game, a buy-in for an elimination game tournament ora wager for a game of chance played on one of the gaming machines wherethe elimination game is a bonus game triggered from the game of chance.The game of chance may be selected from the group consisting of slotgames, poker games, pachinko games, multiple hand poker games, pai-gowpoker games, black jack games, keno games, bingo games, roulette games,craps games and card games. Further, the elimination game method mayalso comprise: after removing a first entity from the elimination gameand prior to the finish of the elimination game, adding the first entityback into the elimination game where the first entity is added back intothe elimination for an additional participation fee.

In yet other embodiments of the present invention, the number ofentities enrolled in the elimination game may affect the probability ofone of the entities reaching the finish of the elimination game. Forinstance, the elimination game method may also comprise: 1) selecting atotal number of entities at the start of the elimination game and 2)enrolling a number of real entities; and enrolling a number of virtualentities where the total number of entities is equal to the number ofenrolled real entities and the number of enrolled virtual entities. Thetotal number of entities selected at the start of the elimination gamemay increase the probability of reaching the finish of the eliminationgame for one or more of the entities. Also, depending on the rules ofthe elimination game, the total number of entities selected at the startof the elimination game may decrease the probability of reaching thefinish of the elimination game for one or more of the entities.

An elimination game may comprise at least one elimination game round butmay also comprise a plurality of elimination game rounds. In someembodiments, the number of plurality of entities in the at least oneelimination game round may be all of the plurality of entities enrolledin the elimination game or a subset of the plurality of entitiesenrolled in the elimination game. In an elimination game with aplurality of elimination game rounds, the elimination game method mayalso comprise one or more of the following: 1): in a first eliminationgame round, applying the elimination test to all of the number ofplurality entities; determining a number of remaining entities in theelimination game; and advancing simultaneously, the remaining entitiesto a next elimination game round, 2) in a first elimination game roundwith at least a first entity and a second entity, applying theelimination test to a first entity; advancing the first entity to a nextelimination game round and while the second entity is playing a firstgame in the first elimination game round, providing a second game thatis played by the first entity in the next elimination game round, and 3)in a first elimination game round, providing a first game that is playedby a first entity; and in a second elimination game round, providing asecond game that is played by the first entity.

The elimination game method may utilize different methods of providingawards. For instance, the elimination game method may also comprise: a)generating an outcome for a first game played by a first entity; b)indicating an award amount for the first game; c) storing the awardamount; and d) when the first entity reaches a stage in the eliminationgame, awarding the stored award amount to the first entity. As anotherexample, the elimination game method may also comprise: (i) generatingan outcome for a plurality of games played by the first entity; (ii)indicating an award amount for each of the plurality of games, (iii)accumulating the award amounts for the plurality of games; and (iv) whenthe first entity reaches a stage in the elimination game, awarding theaccumulated award amount to the first entity. In yet another example,the elimination game method may comprise: 1) applying the eliminationtest to a first entity in one of the elimination game rounds; and 2)when the first entity is not removed from the elimination game,indicating an award amount. Also, the method may include: 3) storing theaward amount; and 4) when the first entity reaches a stage in theelimination game, awarding the stored award amount to the first entity.For each of the examples described above, the stage in the eliminationgame where the award amount is awarded may be the finish of theelimination game, the finish of one of the elimination game rounds oranother stage in the game.

In another embodiment, supplemental wagers may be made during theelimination game. For instance, the elimination game method may alsocomprise: (a) receiving a wager separate from the participation fee froma first entity on an outcome of a game provided to the first entity inthe at least one elimination game round; (b) determining the outcome ofthe game; (c) indicating an award amount based upon the outcome of thegame; and (e) providing the award amount to the first entity.

In other embodiments of the present invention, the elimination gamemethod may allow a player the opportunity to bank an award amount andpossibly end the elimination game. For example, the elimination gamemethod may comprise: during one of the elimination game rounds, (i)indicating an award amount for a first entity; (ii) offering the firstentity a chance to bank the award amount and to exit the eliminationgame. In addition, the method may comprise one of: iii) receiving arequest from the first entity to bank the award amount; banking theaward amount to the first entity; and removing the first entity from theelimination game or iv) receiving a request from the first entity tocontinue in the elimination game; and continuing the elimination gamefor the first entity.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the elimination gamemethod may allow for progressive jackpots. For instance, the eliminationgame method may comprise: i) prior to the finish of the eliminationgame, removing all of the entities from the elimination game (ii) addinga portion of the participation fee to a progressive jackpot. Althougheven without a progressive jackpot, all of the entities may be removedfrom the elimination game. Thus, the finishing award may include aportion of the participation fee and/or a progressive jackpot.

The elimination game methods of the present invention may involvedifferent games and elimination strategies. For example, the game thatis played by each entity may be selected from the group consisting ofslot games, poker games, pachinko games, multiple hand poker games,pai-gow poker games, black jack games, keno games, bingo games, roulettegames, craps games and card games. The game may vary from eliminationgame round to elimination game round. As another example, theelimination game method may comprise: a) in the game that is played byeach entity, allowing a first entity to select a second entity forremoval from the elimination game where a first condition of theelimination test for the second entity is to compare a random number toan elimination probability and when the random number is less than theelimination probability, the first condition of the elimination test ismet. In some cases, the elimination probability may be 1.

Some other examples of conditions for the elimination test may be asfollows. For instance, a first condition for the elimination test for afirst entity may be to compare a random number to an eliminationprobability and when the random number is less than the eliminationprobability, the first condition of the elimination test may be met. Theelimination probability may be in the range of 0 to 1. In a particularembodiment, the elimination probability may be about ½. As anotherexample, a first condition of the elimination test for a first entitymay be to compare a performance metric of the game played by the firstentity with a fixed performance metric and when the performance metricis less than the fixed performance metric, the first condition may bemet. Thus, the elimination game method may comprise prior to the play ofthe game by the first entity, selecting the fixed performance metric.

In some embodiments, the elimination test applied to each entity may bethe same. In other embodiments, the elimination test applied to a firstentity may be different than the elimination test applied to a secondentity. The elimination test may be applied to a first entity aplurality of times. Further, the conditions of the elimination test maybe the same each time the elimination test is applied or the conditionsof the elimination test may vary each time the elimination test isapplied. In one embodiment, the elimination test may be applied at timedintervals.

An elimination game generated using the elimination game method may bedisplayed on one or more gaming machines or different combinations ofgaming machines. For example, the method may comprise one or more of thefollowing: 1) displaying the elimination game on a display screen of afirst gaming machine, 2) displaying the elimination game on a displayscreen of a first gaming machine and displaying the elimination game ona display screen on a second gaming machine, 3) providing a first gamethat is played by a first entity on a first gaming machine; providing asecond game that is played by a second entity on a second gamingmachine; displaying the first game and the second game on a displayscreen on the first gaming machine; and displaying the first game andthe second game on a display screen on the second gaming machine.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a method for playingmultiple elimination games on one or more gaming machines. The methodmay be generally characterized as comprising; 1) starting a firstelimination on a first gaming machine; 2) while the first eliminationgame is being played, starting a second elimination game on the firstgaming machine. The method may also comprise one or more of thefollowing: a) displaying the first elimination game and the secondelimination game on a display screen of the first gaming machine, b)displaying the first elimination game on a display screen on the firstgaming machine and displaying the first elimination game on a displayscreen on a second gaming machine, c) displaying the second eliminationgame on the display screen on the first gaming machine and displayingthe second elimination game on a display screen on a third gamingmachine.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a gaming machine. Thegaming machine may be generally characterized as comprising: 1) a mastergaming controller designed to i) generate a game of chance played on thegaming machine and ii) generate an elimination game played on the gamingmachine; 2) a display screen for displaying the game of chance and theelimination game. The game of chance may be selected from the groupconsisting of slot games, poker games, pachinko games, multiple handpoker games, pai-gow poker games, black jack games, keno games, bingogames, roulette games, craps games and card games.

In particular embodiments, the game of chance may be generated as partof the elimination game. The master gaming controller may be designed togenerate a virtual entity in the elimination game. Further, theelimination game may be a bonus game triggered during the play of thegame of chance.

The gaming machine may also comprise a communication interface used bythe master gaming controller to communicate with remote gaming devices.The remote gaming devices may be at least one of a plurality of gamingmachines, an elimination game server and combinations thereof. Theelimination game may be played simultaneously on a plurality of gamingmachines and the master gaming controller receives elimination gameinformation via the communication interface from the plurality of gamingmachines where elimination game information from the plurality of gamingmachines is displayed on the display screen of the gaming machine.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a gaming system forplaying an elimination game. The gaming system may be generallycharacterized as comprising: 1) an elimination game server and 2) aplurality of gaming machines. The elimination game server in the gamingsystem may be generally characterized as comprising: a) a firstcommunication interface designed to communicate with the plurality ofgaming machines via a network; b) an elimination game controllerdesigned to: i) receive results of a game played on the plurality ofgaming machines used in the elimination game via the first communicationinterface; ii) apply one more elimination tests used in the eliminationgame using the results of the game played on the plurality of gamingmachines and iii) send an outcome of the one or more elimination teststo the plurality of gaming machines via the first communicationinterface. The plurality of gaming machine may each be generallycharacterized as comprising: a) a second communication interface, b) amaster gaming controller designed to i) generate a game of chance playedon the gaming machine separate from the elimination game, ii) generatethe game played on the gaming machine used in the elimination game; andiii) send results of the game played on gaming machine used in theelimination game to the elimination game server; and c) a display screenfor displaying the game of chance and the elimination game.

In particular embodiments, the elimination game server may be a gamingmachine. The elimination game controller may be further designed to iv)generate information for an elimination game scoreboard and v) send theinformation for the elimination game scoreboard to the plurality ofgaming machines using the first communication interface. The master gamecontroller is further designed to iv) receive the outcome of the one ormore elimination tests from the elimination game server and v) generatea presentation for the outcome of the one or more elimination tests thatis displayed on the display screen.

Another aspect of the invention pertains to computer program productsincluding a machine-readable medium on which is stored programinstructions for implementing any of the methods described above. Any ofthe methods of this invention may be represented as program instructionsand/or data structures, databases, etc. that can be provided on suchcomputer readable media. Yet another embodiment of the present inventionis a system for delivering computer readable instructions, such astransmission, over a signal transmission medium, of signalsrepresentative of instructions for remotely administering any of themethods as described above.

These and other features of the present invention will be presented inmore detail in the following detailed description of the invention andthe associated figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is an example of timeline for an elimination game with fourentities.

FIG. 1B is a flow chart depicting an elimination game playingmethodology on a gaming machine.

FIGS. 2A-2C are depictions of embodiments of elimination games of thepresent invention.

FIG. 3A-3D are block diagrams depicting an example of an eliminationslot game of the present invention.

FIG. 4A-4D are block diagram depicting an example of elimination gamesplayed in a parallel.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are block diagrams of an example of voting used in anelimination game.

FIG. 6 is block diagram of an example of an elimination gameincorporating team play.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of networked gaming machines and gamingdevices that provide stand-alone elimination game play, linkedelimination game play and progressive elimination games for oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a gaming machine of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective drawing of a gaming machine having a top box andother devices.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1A is an example of timeline for an elimination game with fourentities. In this figure, some concepts relating to elimination gamemethods of the present invention are described. In FIG. 1B, a flow chartof an elimination game methodology is described. In FIG. 2A-2C,elimination probabilities and elimination test methods for eliminationgames are discussed. In FIGS. 3A-3D and 4A-4D, examples illustrating theplay of an elimination game are described. In FIGS. 5A-5B, an example ofa voting method that may be used in an elimination game is described. InFIG. 6, an example of team play in an elimination game is discussed. InFIGS. 7-9, examples of hardware that may be used to provide anelimination game are described. The present invention is not limited tothe examples described with respect to these figures which are providedfor illustrative purposes only.

Returning to FIG. 1A, in the timeline, the elimination game has a startand a finish. Prior to the start of elimination game, a plurality ofentities may be enrolled in the elimination game. After the start of theelimination game, game play is provided to each entity enrolled in theelimination game. At a stage in the elimination game after the start ofthe elimination game but prior to the finish of the elimination game, anelimination test is applied to at least one of the entities enrolled inthe elimination game. When conditions described in the elimination testare met, the entity is removed from the elimination game.

When the entity is removed from the elimination game, the entity isprevented from participating in any game events that may occur between astage in the elimination game when the entity was eliminated and thefinish of the elimination game. For example, after the application of anelimination test, game events such as additional game play may beprovided and additional elimination tests may be applied to entitiesremaining in the elimination game. Thus, unless the removed entity isallowed to re-enter the elimination game, which may occur in someembodiments of the present invention, the removed entity is not allowedto reach the finish of the elimination game.

A total number of entities that are removed in the elimination game anda stage in the elimination game where each entity is removed may varyfrom game. For each entity, a probability of elimination may be affectedby their game play, the game play by the other entities in eliminationgame, a number of entities enrolled in the elimination game and therules of the elimination game (see FIG. 2B for more details). Forexample, in the play of a first elimination game with a first set ofrules, all of the entities enrolled at the start of the elimination gamemay be eliminated from the elimination game prior to reaching the finishof the elimination game. In the play of a second elimination game withthe same set of rules as the first elimination game, all of the entitiesenrolled at the start of the elimination game may reach the finish ofthe elimination game. In the play of the second elimination game, anelimination test may have been applied to a number of the enrolledentities but conditions of the elimination test were not met. Thus, noneof the entities were eliminated from the elimination game. In otherembodiments, the rules of a particular elimination game may require thatat least one entity enrolled in the elimination game is removed prior tothe finish to the finish of the particular elimination game. Forexample, the elimination game may include an elimination test where alow scorer in a game provided during the elimination game round iseliminated.

In the present invention, the concept of an “elimination game round” isintroduced. In the elimination game round, game play is provided andthen an elimination test is applied to one or more the entities enrolledin the elimination game. After the elimination test is applied, entitiesthat have satisfied the conditions of the elimination test are removedfrom the game and the elimination game round ends. Thus, a simpleelimination game structure may comprise: i) a start, ii) one or moreelimination game rounds, iii) an end game with one or more game eventsafter the elimination game round and iv) the finish of the eliminationgame. In the time lime of FIG. 1A, two elimination game rounds are shownwhere game play and an elimination test are applied to one or more ofthe enrolled entities in each round, followed by an end game and thefinish of the elimination game.

An entity enrolled in the elimination game may comprise one or moreplayers. For example, an entity may comprise a plurality of players,which participate in the elimination game as a team. As another example,each entity participating in the elimination game may comprise a singleplayer. The players in each entity may play one or more games that areprovided during elimination game. For example, in one embodiment of thepresent invention, as part of the game play provided during theelimination game, one player may select another player to be removedfrom the elimination game. Thus, the game play by each player mayinvolve voting for the elimination of one or more player (see FIGS. 5Aand 5B for more details). In another example, each player in an entitymay play a slot game. The objective of the one or more entities playingthe provided slot game may be to exceed a performance metric, such as apoint total, during their play of the slot game.

The players comprising each entity may be “virtual players”, “real”players or combinations thereof. A real player is a human that hascontrol over aspects of their game play and may make game decisionsduring the elimination game. For instance, a real player may engage inmonetary transactions such as making a wager based on the outcome of theelimination game. Further, a real player may receive an award based uponthe performance of an entity in the elimination game. As anotherexample, when a card game, such as poker game, is provided as part ofthe elimination game, the real player may make decisions regardingholding and drawing cards. In yet another example, when a slot game isprovided as part of the elimination game, the real player may initiatethe slot games using an input device connected to a gaming machine.

Typically, a participation fee is required from the real players toparticipate in the elimination game. Among other embodiments, theparticipation fee may be a wager made on a game of chance such as a slotgame that a real player is playing when the elimination game is started.As an another example, a real player may request to participate in anelimination game and make a wager made on an outcome of the eliminationgame. In another example, a player may request to participate in anelimination game against a number of other players where each playercontributes a buy-in to the elimination game. For buy-in type games, thebuy-in may be divided among the players participating in the eliminationgame.

Virtual players may be generated by a logic device, such as a mastergaming controller, on a gaming machine. As another example, a serverwith a logic device connected to a number of gaming machines maygenerate virtual players. Details of hardware used to provideelimination games are described with respect to FIGS. 7-9. The logicdevice may simulate the play of a real player. For instance, when thegame play provided in the elimination game is to play 10 slot games, thelogic device may initiate 10 slot games and results of the 10 slot gamesfor the virtual player may be displayed. As another example, when thegame play provided in the elimination game is to vote for another playerfor removal from the elimination game, the logic device may randomlyselect another player for removal from the elimination game or the logicdevice may apply a set of heuristic rules to determine which player toremove. In some cases, real players may not be able to determine whichplayers are virtual players and which players are real players.

At the finish of the elimination game, awards may be indicated forplayers that have completed the elimination game. Awards may beindicated to players at other stages in the elimination game. Forinstance, each time an elimination test is applied to a player and theconditions of the elimination are not met, an award amount may beindicated to the player. In one embodiment, the award amount may beimmediately credited to the player as soon as it is indicated. Inanother embodiment, the players may accumulate awards but may not becredited with the award amount until a later stage in the game such asthe finish of the elimination game. As is described with respect toFIGS. 3A-3D and 4A-4D, a scoreboard may be used to display each of theplayers status in the elimination game.

In another embodiment, during an elimination game, players may be ableto make wagers and earn awards that are independent of the outcome ofthe elimination game. For example, the game provided in the eliminationgame may be a play of a slot game. Like the play of the slot game whenit is not used in an elimination game, the players in the eliminationgame may be able to make wagers on the outcome of each slot game andreceive awards for the outcome of the slot game. The wagers made on eachslot game may be independent from the outcome of the elimination gameand any participation fees that were made to play the elimination game.

Next, using the timeline in FIG. 1A, the play of elimination game withfour entities is described. The description is provided for illustrativepurposes only. Prior to the start of the elimination game, four entitieseach comprising a single player are enrolled in the elimination game.The first entity and fourth entity are real players. The second entityand the third entity are virtual players.

In the first round of the elimination game, a game is provided and anelimination test is applied. After application of the elimination test,the first entity is removed from the elimination game. The eliminationtest applied to the entities in an elimination game may be based uponone or more conditions included in the elimination test. Manyelimination test conditions and combinations of combinations ofelimination test conditions are possible and are not limited to theexamples described herein.

The condition used in the elimination test may be dependent orindependent on the game play provided in each elimination game round.For instance, in one embodiment of the present invention, a fixedprobability of elimination between 0 and 1, such 0.25, may be used as anelimination test condition (see FIG. 2A-2C for more details). Then, foreach entity that receives the elimination test, a random number between0 and 1 may be generated and may be compared to the fixed eliminationprobability. When the random number is less than the eliminationprobability, the condition is met and the entity may be removed.

Thus, as example of using a fixed elimination probability in anelimination game round, using the time line in FIG. 1A with the fourentities, the four entities may participate in the provided game play.Next, an elimination test with elimination test condition with a fixedelimination probability of 0.25 may be applied to each entity. To applythe elimination test condition, random numbers may be generated for eachentity and compared to the 0.25 elimination probability. As an example,when random numbers of 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.8, are generated for entities1-4 respectively, the first entity is removed in the first eliminationround as shown in the FIG. 1A because the random number for entity 1 of0.2 is less than 0.25. In this example, the elimination test conditionis independent of the game play in the round.

One or more elimination test conditions may depend on the results of theprovided game play in one or more of the elimination game rounds. Forthe provided game play, a game and one or performance metrics relatingto game events and/or game results in the game may be defined where eachentity participating in the game does not have a competitive advantageover any other entity in regards to achieving the one or moreperformance metrics. Then, an elimination test may be derived using theperformance metrics. For example, the game used for the game play may bethe play of a number of slot games where each entity plays the slot gamean equal number of times. To give each entity an equal competitiveadvantage, the same paytable may be used for each slot game. Aperformance metric relating to the slot game may be the total number ofcredits won during the number of slot games. Using this performancemetric, an elimination test condition for an elimination test may bethat the entity with the lowest score at some stage in the eliminationgame is automatically eliminated. Thus, in FIG. 1A, entities 1-4 mayhave played an equal number of slot games, entity 1 may have achievedthe lowest credit total which results in entity 1 being removed from theelimination game. As another example, entities 1-4 may play a videopoker game a fixed number of hands and the performance metric may be thetotal number of credits won during the number of poker hands where thecredits won in the first and last hand are doubled. The elimination testcondition for the elimination test may be the entity with the lowestnumber of credits is removed from the elimination game i.e., theelimination probability for the entity with the lowest number of creditsis 1. Thus, in FIG. 1A, entities 1-4 may have played an equal number ofpoker games, entity 1 may have achieved the lowest credit total whichresults in entity 1 being removed from the elimination game.

In the slot game and the card game described in the previous paragraph,one entity does not have a competitive advantage over any of the otherentities. The present invention is not so limited. For example, for anadditional fee, one player may be able to gain a competitive advantageover another entity in the elimination game. Thus, using the slot gamedescribed above, for an additional participation fee, entity 4 may play11 slot games in the first elimination game round while entities 1-3 mayplay 10 slot games in the first elimination game round. Or using theslot game above, for an additional participation fee, entity 4 may play9 paylines in the slot game while entities 1-3 may play only 8 paylinesin the slot game. Thus, entity 4 has a competitive advantage overentities 1-3 in regards to achieving the highest credit total. But, evenwith the competitive advantage, entity 4 may achieve the lowest credittotal in the elimination game round and still be eliminated. Typically,real players competing in an elimination game will not be allowed tohave a competitive advantage over other real players. However, realplayers may be provided with opportunities to gain a competitiveadvantage over virtual players enrolled in the elimination game.

In another embodiment of the present invention, an elimination testcondition may be based upon a milestone relating to a performancemetric. For instance, in the slot game where the performance metric is atotal credits won, the elimination test condition may be that allentities with a total score below the milestone are eliminated. Inanother example, a series of milestones may be provided where eachmilestone that is achieved during game play decreases an entity'schances of elimination via the application of an elimination test.

In embodiments of the present invention, the elimination test conditionsmay be modified to provide an entity with immunity from elimination. Forinstance, an entity in the elimination game may receive immunity fromthe elimination test in the first elimination round based upon theirplay during the elimination game. A few examples in which each of thefour entities may earn immunity are described as follows. When the gameprovided in the first game is a slot game, a symbol appearing in theslot game or a combination of symbols appearing the slot game may allowone of the entities to earn immunity in the elimination test (e.g., azero probability of elimination). As another example, a top performer inthe game provided, as defined by a performance metric of some typerelating to the game provided in the elimination game round, may receiveimmunity from an elimination test in that round or a subsequent round.For instance, when the game play provided during an elimination gameround involves voting for the removal of other entities, the entity withthe best performance during the game in one elimination round may beimmune from elimination via voting in the next elimination game round.Additional details of voting in elimination games are described withrespect to FIGS. 5A-5B.

The elimination test conditions may be based upon the results of thegame play provided in each round and the probability of elimination foreach entity may be increased or decreased. For each entity, theelimination probability may be increased or decreased according to: 1)an individual performance of the entity in the game provided during theelimination round, the relative performance of the entity as compared toother entities and combinations thereof. For instance, each entity maystart with an equal elimination probability. Then, during the play of aslot game, a certain symbol or combinations of symbols appearing on apay line may increase or decrease an individual elimination probability.Therefore, entities 1-4 could each start out the elimination game withan individual elimination probability of 0.25. However, after the playof the game in the elimination round, the elimination probability may be0.8 for entity 1, 0.3 for entity 2, 0.20 for entity 3, and 0.05 forentity 4. The elimination probability for entity 1 may have beenincreased because of game events that occurred during the play of thegame, because entity 1 performed poorly in the play of the game relativeto the other entities and combinations thereof.

In round 2 of the elimination game in FIG. 1A, entities 2, 3 and 4participate in the game play and entity 2 is removed from theelimination game. Entity 1 has been removed from the elimination game.However, as described above, in some embodiments of the elimination gamean entity may be allowed to re-enter the elimination game. Forelimination games with multiple elimination game rounds, the game play,the performance metrics and the elimination test conditions may varyfrom round to round (see FIGS. 3A-3D for more details). For example, thegame play provided to each entity in round 1 may be a slot game whilethe game play provided in round 2 may be a pachinko game. Theperformance metric for round 1 may be a total score while theperformance metric for round 2 may be a number of votes. Further, theelimination test condition for the first round may be the entity withthe lowest total score in a game relative to the other entities iseliminated while in the second round the entity with the most votesafter a vote by the other entities may be eliminated.

In FIG. 1A, after round 2, additional game play is provided in the endgame and an award is indicated after the finish of the elimination game.Entities 3 and 4 participate in the end game and reach the finish of theelimination game. The end game may be used for a number of purposes suchas allocating awards or earning rounds.

In one embodiment, awards may be allocated according to relativeperformance of each entity in the game provided in the end game. Forexample, when the total score by entity 3 in the play of the game in theend game is greater than the total score of entity 4, entity 3 mayreceive an award and entity 4 may not receive an award. As anotherexample, when the total score by entity 3 in the play of the game in theend game is greater than the total score of entity 4, entity 3 mayreceive an 75% of an available award and entity 4 may not receive 25% ofan available award. In one embodiment, the award amount at the finish ofthe elimination game may be based upon the odds of the entity reachingthe finish of the elimination game (see FIG. 2A). In another embodiment,the award amount may be a fraction of the participation fees received atthe beginning of the elimination game.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the game provided in theend game may be used as a prize round. Thus, each entity that reachesthe end game is allowed to keep all of the prizes, which may be cash ormay be merchandise, that are earned in the play of the game provideduring the end game. The amount of awarded prizes for each entity isindicated at the finish of the game. However, as will be described withrespect to FIG. 2, awards may be indicated at any stage of the game. Inone embodiment of the present invention, an entity may be to accumulatevarious awards during the play of the elimination game. But, the entityis only allowed to keep the prizes when the finish of the eliminationgame is reached by the entity.

FIG. 1B is a flow chart depicting an elimination game playingmethodology on a gaming machine for one embodiment of the presentinvention. In 500, the gaming machine receives a request from an entityto participate in the elimination game. In one embodiment of the presentinvention, the gaming machine may be used in a stand-alone mode where itis not connected to other gaming machine. In this embodiment, the entityrequesting the elimination game may be from a player using input deviceson the gaming machine. In another embodiment of the present invention, agaming machine may be used with an elimination game server that providesan elimination game to a plurality of gaming machines. Further detailsof an elimination game server are described with respect to FIG. 8.

When an elimination game server is used, the request for the eliminationgame may be received by the gaming machine and sent to the eliminationgame server. Again, the entity requesting the elimination game may befrom a player using input devices on the gaming machine. The eliminationgame server may also be a gaming machine. Details of using a gamingmachine as a game server are described in co-pending U.S. applicationSer. No. 09/595,798, filed on Jun. 16, 2000, by Brosnan et al. andtitled “Using a Gaming Machine as a Server,” which is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety and for all purposes.

In 510, the gaming machine may receive elimination game modifiers. Theelimination game modifies may be displayed as a menu on a display screenon the gaming machine. Thus, the player may be able to select theseelimination game modifiers using a touch screen, input buttons, oranother input device connected to the gaming machine. Examples ofelimination game modifiers that may be selected by the player includebut are not limited: 1) one or more games to be used for game play inthe elimination game and details regarding the games, 2) a number ofelimination game rounds in the elimination game, 3) a paytable for theelimination game, 4) a number of entities in the elimination game (e.g.,virtual players may be added to enable the number of entities), 5)tournament play versus team play, 6) performance metrics to be used inelimination tests and 7) elimination test conditions, 8) different setsof rules for the elimination game and 9) a number of entities controlledin the elimination game by the player (see FIGS. 3A-3D).

In 515, the gaming machine may receive a participation fee. Theparticipation fee allows a player to participate in the eliminationgame. The participation fee may be a wager on the outcome of theelimination game. Further, in the case of an elimination tournamentagainst a number of other real players, the participation fee may be abuy-in for the tournament where the buy-ins from a plurality of realplayers forms a pool of money that may be divided among the participantsin the elimination game. In one embodiment, the participation fee may bea wager on a game of chance where the elimination game is a bonus gamefor the game of chance.

In some embodiments, elimination game modifiers selected in 510 mayaffect the participation fee for the elimination game. For example,elimination game modifiers that provide an entity with a competitiveadvantage over one or more of the other entities in the elimination gamemay be selected by a player. Thus, the selection of certain eliminationgame modifiers may increase the participation fee. In another example, aplayer may desire play a plurality of entities during the eliminationgame, which may increase the participation fee. In yet another example,the player may be able to select elimination test conditions whichincrease or decrease the player's probability of winning theelimination. The participation fee may be higher for elimination testconditions that increase the player's chances of winning. Further, theplayer may be achieve a lower participation fee by selecting eliminationgame modifiers that place them at a competitive disadvantage relative tothe other entities enrolled in the elimination game.

Besides affecting the participation fee, the elimination game modifiersselected by the player may affect award amounts in the elimination game.For example, the player may make the elimination game harder byincreasing the number of elimination game rounds or increasing theelimination probability in each round. These selections may decrease theplayer's odds of progressing in the elimination game and reaching thefinish of the elimination game. The player may make a wager (anotherexample of a participation fee) on their progress in the eliminationgame. Thus, when the player selects game modifiers that make reaching astage in the elimination less likely, the award amounts for reachingdifferent stages in the elimination game such as the finish of theelimination game may be increased.

In 520, the gaming machine may generate the elimination game based uponthe received elimination game modifiers. For example, an eliminationgame with a number of rounds, types of games and a number of entitiesspecified by the player may be generated. When an elimination gameserver is used, the elimination game server may generate the eliminationgame based upon game modifiers received from the plurality of gamingmachines.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the elimination game may begenerated as a bonus game for a game of chance on a stand-alone gamingmachine. An elimination bonus game may be triggered by a game event thatoccurs during the play of the game of chance on the gaming machine. Forinstance, in a slot game, a combination of symbols on the reels maytrigger the bonus elimination game. In this example, the participationfee may be the wager used to participate in the slot game and the playermay not have to provide an additional participation fee to play thebonus elimination game. After the elimination bonus game is triggered onthe gaming machine, the gaming machine may generate the bonuselimination game using default elimination game modifiers where theplayer does not have the opportunity to modify the bonus gameelimination game. In another embodiment, the player may enterelimination game modifiers as described in 510.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the bonus eliminationgame may be generated simultaneously on a plurality of gaming machineconnected to an elimination game server. The elimination bonus game maybe triggered by a single game event one gaming machine, a combination ofgame of events on one gaming machine or a combination of game events onthe plurality of gaming machines.

Prior to the triggering of the elimination bonus game, the plurality ofgaming machines connected to the elimination game server may be used toplay the same or different games of chance. For instance, when theelimination bonus game is triggered, each of the plurality of slotmachines may be configured to play the same slot game. In anotherexample, when the elimination bonus game is triggered, a slot game maybe in progress on a first gaming machine, a video poker game may be inprogress on a second gaming machine and other combinations of slotgames, card games and games of chances may be in progress on theremaining gaming machines in the plurality of gaming machines.

When the elimination bonus game is triggered, the participation fee forthe elimination bonus game may be the wager for the game of chance beingplayed on each gaming machine. Thus, the elimination bonus game may onlybe provided on the gaming machines in the plurality of gaming machineconnected to the elimination game server that are actively being playedwhere the bonus elimination game is generated using the number of activegaming machines. The players on the active gaming machines may be ableto modify the elimination bonus game as described in 510 or theelimination game may be generated using predetermined parameters. Forexample, a pre-determined parameter for generating the elimination gamemay be to use a fixed number of players. In this embodiment, theelimination game server may enroll the number of players that areactively playing gaming machines when the bonus game is triggered andthen may generate a number of virtual players to reach the fixed numberof players. As another example, pre-determined parameters may be anumber of rounds to use in the elimination game. The number of roundsmay not be fixed and may vary according to the number of real players inenrolled in the elimination game. For instance, the number of roundsused in the elimination game may be increased as the number of realplayers enrolled in the elimination game is increased.

In 525 and 530, elimination game play is provided on one or more gamingmachines and an elimination test is applied to a number of the pluralityof entities enrolled in the elimination game. As described with respectto FIG. 1A, the structure of the elimination game may include a numberof elimination game rounds where game play is provided and anelimination test is applied. Thus, the game play and the eliminationtest in 525 and 530 may comprise an elimination game round and 525 and530 may be repeated for a number of elimination game rounds.

In 525, the game play for the elimination game may be a traditional gameof chance played on a gaming machine (e.g., a slot game or a video pokergame) or another type of game, such as a game involving selecting theremoval of other players (e.g., voting). For an elimination game on astand-alone gaming machine, the game is displayed on the gaming machineand a player may use input mechanisms on the gaming machine to play thegame. For an elimination game played on a group of gaming machinesconnected to an elimination game server, the game play is displayed oneach gaming machine and a player may use input mechanisms to play thegame.

In one embodiment of the group elimination game, the game provided oneach of the gaming machine may be separate from the games played on theother gaming machines. For instance, a slot game may be provided on eachgaming machine where the games are played independently of one another.In another embodiment, the players on the each of the gaming machinesmay participate in a single game where the input from all of the playersaffects the game play in the single game and the single game isdisplayed on the display screens of all of the gaming machines. Thesingle game may be generated by the elimination game server where theelimination game server receives inputs from each of the gaming machineswhere players are participating in the game and combines the resultsinto the single game. For example, in FIG. 6, a dodge ball game is shownwhere the players in the game try to eliminate one another by throwingballs at each other. In this example, all of the players participatingin the game may be displayed on the display screen of each gamingmachine where a player is participating in the dodge ball game. Thus,each player may be able to view the progress of the entire game andtheir status in the game on the display screen of the gaming machinewhere they are playing the game.

In yet another embodiment, when a plurality of gaming machines areconnected to the elimination game server, the plurality of gamingmachines may be divided into subgroups where the games provided on eachof the subgroups of gaming machines are independent but the gamesprovided within each of the subgroups may depend on one another. Forexample, the plurality of players enrolled in the elimination game maybe randomly grouped in pairs. In each elimination game round, the pairof players may compete head-to-head against each other in a game wherethe play of the game depends on inputs from both players. After thegame, one player may be eliminated from each pair. In the next round,the remaining players may be randomly paired again. This groupingstrategy is not limited to two players and could be extended to groupsof two or more. In another example, the players could be randomlyassigned to groups of two or more and play the game together as a team.In one embodiment of the present invention, the players may be able tochoose to play together as a team in the elimination game.

In 526, after game play is provided, a status in regard to whether thegame play was part of an end game may be checked. When the game play ispart of an end game, then the elimination test may not be applied in 530and the finish of the elimination game may be reached. When the finishof the elimination game is reached, awards for each entity may beindicated. When the provided game play is not part of an eliminationgame round, then the elimination test in 530 may be applied.

As described with respect to FIG. 1A, the end game may comprise one ormore game events, such as additional game play, between after the lastelimination game round and the finish of the elimination game. Inelimination games with a single elimination game round, if theelimination game ended directly after the application of the eliminationtest, then all of the entities would essentially reach a finish theelimination game without the possibility of removal from the eliminationgame prior to the finish of the elimination game. Thus, in theelimination game with the single elimination game round, the end gameinsures that at least one entity may be removed from the eliminationgame prior to reaching the finish of the elimination game.

In an elimination game with multiple rounds, a first entity may face thepossibility of removal from the elimination game after the firstelimination game round. When the first entity is removed, it may notparticipate in game events provided in subsequent elimination gamerounds, which occur between after the end of the first elimination gameround and the finish of the elimination game. Thus, for eliminationgames with multiple rounds, the end game may or may not be include inthe elimination game structure and the elimination game may end afterthe application of an elimination test in a last elimination game round.

In 530, the elimination test is applied to one or more entities in theelimination game. Each entity may comprise one or more players. In oneembodiment of the present invention, the number of players in eachentity may not be equal. For instance, a first entity in the eliminationgame may comprise one player whereas a second entity may comprise twoplayers and a third entity may comprise five players. Further, asdescribed with respect to FIG. 1B, all or a portion of the players ineach entity may be virtual players generated by a logic device.

When an entity in the elimination game comprises a plurality of players,the elimination test may be applied to the entire entity or eliminationtest may be applied individually to each player in the entity. Forinstance, a first entity with a plurality of players may compete againsta second entity with a plurality of players in a head-to-headcompetition where one of the entities is removed after the eliminationtest is applied. Therefore, when the first entity or the second entityis eliminated, all of the player's in the eliminated entity are removedfrom the elimination game. In another example, the player's in eachentity may be eliminated and removed from the elimination gameindividually. For instance, in a dodge ball game with two teams eachcomprising a number of players, the player's on each team may bepicked-off individually and removed from a game until all the player'son one team are removed from the game. Thus, in some embodiments of thepresent invention, the number of players in each entity may changeduring the course of the elimination game. In other embodiments of thepresent invention, the number of players in each entity may remainfixed.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the elimination test maynot be applied to all of the entities enrolled in the elimination gamein each elimination game round. For example, as described with respectto FIG. 1A, the elimination game may include game events that allow aplayer or an entity to earn immunity from one or more elimination tests.When the entity or a player in an entity has immunity, the eliminationtest may be applied to the player or the entity but the probability ofthe conditions of the elimination test being met may be zero. Duringelimination games with immunity, an elimination test is applied to atleast one of the entities enrolled in the elimination game and when theconditions of the elimination test are met the entity is removed fromthe elimination game prior to the finish of the elimination game.

In 535, after the elimination test is applied to an entity or a player,the conditions of the elimination test are checked. In 550, when theconditions for the elimination test are met for the player or for theentity, the entity or the player is notified and removed from theelimination game. In some embodiments of the present invention, it maybe possible to remove all of the entities with real players enrolled inthe elimination game. When all of the entities with real players areremoved from the elimination game, then the elimination game istypically ended. Thus, after each entity or player is removed from theelimination game, the number of real players remaining in the game maybe checked to determine whether the elimination game is to continue.

In 552, the eliminated player or the eliminated entity may be allowed tore-enter the elimination game. When the eliminated player or theeliminated entity is allowed to reenter the elimination game, anadditional participation fee may be required. In 554, when the requiredadditional participation fee is collected, the eliminated entity or theeliminated player is allowed to reenter the elimination game and may beprovided additional game play in 525. In some embodiments, the player orentity may not wish to pay an additional participation fee to reenterthe elimination game. When the player or entity does not wish to pay anadditional participation, then the elimination game ends for the removedplayer or entity. When re-entry is not allowed, the elimination gameends for the entity or the player removed from the elimination game in535.

In 540, when conditions of the elimination test are not met for theplayer or the entity, a number of rounds remaining in the game may bechecked. In 540, when there are no rounds remaining in the eliminationgame and the finish of the elimination game is reached, then awards maybe indicated for each entity. In 555, at the finish of the eliminationgame for games with a progressive jackpot, it may be determined whethera progressive jackpot has been won. In 560, when the progressive jackpothas been won, the progressive award is indicated to the entity and in565 an attendant may be called. Since the entity winning the progressivejackpot may comprise a plurality of players, the progressive award maybe indicated on a plurality of gaming machines where the players in theentity may split the progressive award.

In 570, at the finish of the elimination game, awards may be indicatedfor one or more entities that have reach the finish of the eliminationgame. All of the entities that reach the finish of the elimination gamemay not receive an award. Thus, the award amount indicated may be zero.Since the entity reaching the finish of the elimination game maycomprise a plurality of players, the indicated award for entities withmultiple players may be displayed on a plurality of gaming machines. Foran award for an entity with multiple players, the award may bedistributed to the players in some manner. The award may be evenlydistributed among the players in the entity or another distributionformula may be used. For example, the distribution of the award may bebased upon each player's performance in game play provided during theelimination game.

As described with respect to 530, the elimination test may be appliedindividually to each player in a multiple player entity and the numberof players in each entity may vary in the elimination game. Therefore,the multiple player entity may reach the finish of the elimination gamewith fewer players in the multiple player entity than when theelimination game was started. In one embodiment of the presentinvention, when an award amount is indicated for reaching the finish ofthe elimination game to the multiple player entity, only the playersremaining in the multiple player entity receive a distribution from theindicated award amount and the players that were removed from themultiple player entity prior to the finish of the elimination game donot receive a distribution of the indicated award amount. In otherembodiment of the present invention, when an award amount is indicatedfor reaching the finish of the elimination game to the multiple playerentity, the players that were removed from the multiple player entityprior to the finish of the elimination game may receive a distributionof the indicated award amount.

As described with respect to FIG. 1A, awards may be indicated forvarious game events that occur in the elimination game. For example,during the game play in 524, a player or an entity may earn differentawards. As another example, the player or the entity may earn an awardfor surviving an elimination test in 530. The award amounts for theplayer or the entity may also be cumulative. For example, the awardsamounts may progress in a series of increasing amount according to thecompletion of each elimination game round in a multi-round eliminationgame.

The awards for the elimination game may be cash or non-cash prizes. Forexample, a player may win a non-cash prize such as a car for reachingthe finish of the elimination game as part of a progressive jackpot. Inaddition, a player may be offered a combination of cash and non-cashprizes as awards for different outcomes of the elimination game. In oneembodiment, a player may be able to select different combinations ofcash and non-cash prizes as awards in the elimination game. Details ofmethods for providing non-cash prizes in a gaming environment aredescribed in co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 09/515,717, filed onFeb. 29, 2000, by Nguyen, and entitled, “Name Your Prize GamingMethodology,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entiretyand for all purposes.

In 545, an entity may be provided with an opportunity to bank all or aportion of an award amount earned up to the current stage in the gamerather than continue with the elimination game. For example, when theaward amount increase in a series according to reaching a particularelimination game round in a multi-round elimination game, at the end ofan elimination game round, the player may be offered the opportunity toreceive (e.g., bank) all or a portion of the earned award amount or riskall or portion of the earned award amount by attempting to reach thenext elimination game round. The incentive for the continued play willtypically be a larger award amount for completing the next eliminationgame round.

When the player or the entity decides to bank their winning, the playeror the entity is removed from the elimination game and credited with theaward that they chose to bank. When other players or other entitiesremain in the elimination game, the elimination game may continuewithout the removed entity or the removed player. When the player or theentity chooses not to bank their winnings, the player or the entity maycontinue to the next stage in the elimination game such as the beginningof the next elimination game round. For entities with multiple entities,the decision to either bank their winnings or to continue in the gamemade be decided by a vote of the players in the entity. In 545, theopportunity to bank the winnings is offered at the end of an eliminationgame round. However, the opportunity to bank the winnings may occur atother stages in the elimination, such as during the game play in 525,and is not limited to# the end of an elimination game round.

FIGS. 2A-2C are depictions of embodiments of elimination games of thepresent invention. In FIG. 2A, elimination probabilities in amulti-round elimination game are described. In the present invention,the elimination game may comprise from 1 to N elimination game roundswhere N is some finite number. In the figure, rounds 1 to N are denotedas R1, R2, R3 . . . up to RN−1, and RN. In this example, for thepurposes of explanation only, an average elimination probability for anelimination test in each elimination game round may be denoted as,P_(ELIM)(RM) where M is greater than or equal to 1. P_(ELIM)(RM) may beassigned a value, X_(R), greater than or equal to 0 and less than orequal to 1.

The value of X_(R) is not necessarily fixed and may depend on a numberof elimination game parameters. For instance, X_(R) may depend on but isnot limited to: 1) a number of entities or players enrolled in theelimination game, 2) a number of rounds in the elimination game, 3) aparticipation fee (e.g., a wager) received for the elimination game, 4)one or more games provided during the elimination game and 5) one ormore elimination test conditions selected for the elimination game.Further, X_(R) may vary between rounds. For instance, the probability ofelimination, P_(ELIM), may increase in successive rounds. Therefore, theprobability of elimination in RN may be greater than the probability ofelimination in RN−1 and the probability of RN−1 may be greater than theprobability of elimination in RN−2, etc. In addition, as described withrespect to FIGS. 1A-1B, the probability of elimination may vary fromentity or from player to player in the elimination game.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the elimination game maybe structured in a manner that allows a paytable to be generated for theelimination game. In elimination games with a paytable, a player maymake wagers according an outcome of the elimination such as reaching astage in the elimination game and receive a payout according to theprobability of reaching the stage in the elimination game. As anexample, in one embodiment of the present invention, a fixed eliminationprobability may be used in an elimination test that is applied at theend of each elimination game round where the fixed eliminationprobability may vary from round to round. As described with respect toFIG. 1A, the elimination test may be applied by generating a randomnumber and comparing it with the fixed elimination probability.

When the fixed elimination probability is independent of the fixedelimination probability in each of the other rounds and the eliminationtest is applied to each entity after each elimination game round, theprobability of the entity reaching the end of a elimination game with Nrounds may be described as,P _(SURVIVE)(RN)={1−P _(ELIM)(R1)}{1−P _(ELIM)(R2)} . . . {1−P_(ELIM)(RN−1)}{1−P _(ELIM)(RN)}, where 1#N

The present invention is not limited elimination games where theprobability of elimination in a first elimination game round isindependent of events in other elimination game rounds. As describedwith respect to FIGS. 1A and 1B, game events occurring in oneelimination game round may affect the elimination probability in otherelimination game rounds. For example, during the game play in oneelimination game round an entity may earn immunity from elimination in asubsequent elimination game round. Also, the present invention is notlimited to fixed elimination probabilities. The elimination probabilitymay vary in an elimination game round according to game events thatoccur during game play in the elimination game round. Further, theelimination probability may vary from entity to entity in theelimination game and may change for each entity over the course of theelimination game.

In FIG. 2A, an elimination game with six rounds is described where halfof the entities are removed at the end of each round. Therefore,P_(ELIM) in each round equals ½. For example, a slot game may be playedby each entity in each elimination game round. At the end of eachelimination game round, the top half of scorers in the slot game may beallowed to remain in the elimination game while the bottom half ofscorers is removed from the elimination game. As another example, at endof each elimination game round, an elimination test, like a coin toss,may be applied to each entity where the entity has a 50% of advancing tothe next elimination game round.

An area highlighted in the square as compared to a total area of thesquare graphically represents a probability of each entity remaining inthe elimination after the application of the elimination test in eachelimination game round. In the first round, the probability ofelimination is ½ and the probability of surviving past the eliminationtest is ½. In the second round, the probability of elimination is ½ andthe probability of surviving the consecutive elimination tests in rounds1 and 2 is ¼. At the sixth round, the probability of surviving theconsecutive elimination tests in rounds 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 is 1/64.

Using the odds of surviving consecutive elimination tests given aboveand shown in FIG. 2A, a paytable may be generated with an award amountfor a consecutive number of elimination game rounds completed by theplayer. To allow for a house advantage the award amounts may be lessthan the corresponding odds. An example of paytable is listed below,

ELIMINATION GAME AWARD AMOUNT FOR 1 CREDIT ROUND COMPLETED WAGERINCLUDING ORIGINAL WAGER 1 1.75 2 3.5 3 7 4 14 5 29 6 60The paytable listed above may be displayed on a gaming machine.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a player may make a wager ona multi-round elimination game on a gaming machine, such as the sixround elimination game described above. A table of the possible outcomesof the elimination game may be stored on the gaming machine withcorresponding odds of obtaining a particular outcome in the eliminationgame, such as reaching round 6. When the player initiates theelimination game on the gaming machine, the outcome of the eliminationgame may be determined by the master gaming controller on the gamingmachine. For instance, the gaming machine may determine the player iseliminated in the first round. As another example, the gaming machinemay determine the player is eliminated in 6^(th) round or the gaming thegaming machine may determine that the player completes the elimination.

After the gaming machine determines the outcome of the elimination game,the gaming machine may generate a game outcome presentation thatcorresponds to the generated outcome. For example, when the gamingmachine determines the player reaches the finish of the eliminationgame, the gaming machine may generate a game outcome presentation wherethe player appears to advance through each elimination game roundavoiding elimination until the player reaches the finish of theelimination game with the indicated award. When the gaming machinedetermines the player is eliminated in a particular round, the gamingmachine may generate a game outcome presentation where the playerappears to advance to a particular round prior to being eliminated.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the gaming machinedetermine the outcome of the elimination game as the elimination game isplayed. For example, in the six round elimination game described above,the player may begin the elimination game with the game play provided inthe first elimination game round. After the game play in the firstelimination round, the gaming machine may apply an elimination test andthen notify the player of the outcome of the elimination test as isdescribed with respect to FIG. 1B. When the player is not eliminated,the game play may proceed and additional elimination tests may beapplied until the player is eliminated or the player reaches the finishof the elimination game. Using the paytable described above, the awardamount for the player may be based upon how many rounds in theelimination game they complete prior to elimination from the eliminationgame or reaching the finish of the elimination game.

In FIG. 2B, an example of elimination game with a tournament format isdescribed. In the figure, an elimination game with four elimination gamerounds is played by a plurality of entities where each entity comprisesa single player. The players in the elimination game may be eithervirtual players or real players. The four round elimination game isplayed twice.

At the start of the elimination game sixty four players are enrolled inthe elimination game. The real players in the elimination game pay aparticipation fee to enroll in the elimination game. In one embodiment,the participation fee may be a buy-in to participate in the eliminationgame tournament. In another embodiment of the present invention, theelimination game may be implemented as a bonus elimination game on agroup of gaming machines where player's that are actively playing thegaming machines when the bonus elimination game is initiated areautomatically enrolled in the bonus elimination game.

In the first play of the four round elimination game, an eliminationtest is applied to each player. In the first elimination game round, 36players are eliminated. In the second round, 15 players are eliminated.In the third round, 7 players are eliminated. In the fourth round, 2players are eliminated and 4 players reach the finish of the eliminationgame. An award is indicated for each of the 4 players that reach thefinish of the elimination game. When one or more of the 4 players thatreach the finish of the eliminate game is a virtual player, the awardfor the one or more virtual players may be contributed to a progressivejackpot, may be divided among the real players that finish theelimination game or may be kept by the house (e.g., a gaming entity thatoperates the gaming machine on which the elimination game is played).

In the second play of the elimination game, the real players in theelimination game again pay a participation fee to enroll in theelimination game. 64 players start the elimination game. The numbers ofreal and virtual players enrolled in the elimination game may changefrom game to game. In one embodiment of the present invention, the totalnumber of players in the elimination game may be held constant (e.g., 64in this example). When there less than 64 real players enrolled in theelimination game, virtual players are generated to fill any remainingslots up to the designated number of players.

In first round of the elimination game, 41 players are eliminated. Inthe second round, 12 players are eliminated. In the third round all ofthe remaining 11 players are eliminated prior to the finish of theelimination game. In one embodiment, all or a portion of theparticipation fees collected at the start of the elimination game may becontributed to a progressive jackpot which may be awarded in asubsequent play of the elimination game. Also, all or a portion of theparticipation fees may be kept by the “house” e.g., the gaming entityproviding the elimination the game.

In FIG. 2C, an elimination game is described where entities compete tofill slots allocated for each elimination game round and race againstone another to reach the elimination game. The second round, third roundand finish of the elimination include 5 slots, 3 and 1 slotrespectively. The elimination game starts with eight entities. Theentities may comprise a single player or teams of players. Further, theplayers may be real players or virtual players. The real players may paya participation fee to enroll in the elimination game.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the entities may compete tofill the available slots in a given round. When an entity obtains aslot, the entity waits for the remaining slots in the round to be filledbefore advancing to the next round. When all of the available slots in around are filled, the entities that have not obtained a spot are removedfrom the elimination game. In another embodiment of the presentinvention, when an entity obtains an available slot in one eliminationgame round, the entity may begin to compete for a slot in a subsequentelimination game round before all of the slots in the current round arefilled.

Therefore, in general, two advancement strategies are as follows. Theadvancement strategies may be used with the different elimination gamesdescribed in the present invention. In the first advancement strategy,entities remaining in the elimination game may advance from oneelimination game round to the next elimination round at the same time,i.e., in a synchronous manner. In the other advancement strategy, all ofthe entities competing in the elimination game may advance from oneelimination game round to the next elimination game round at differenttimes i.e. in an asynchronous manner. In the present invention, bothadvancement strategies may be employed in the same elimination game.

As an example, the elimination game in FIG. 2C is provided to illustratethe two advancement strategies. The elimination game is described atfour times, a start, a finish and two intermediate times, T₁ and T₂. Inround 1 of the elimination game, the eight players, P1 through P8,compete to reach a milestone in a slot game. The first five players toreach the milestone in the slot advance to round 2 of the eliminationgame. In the first round, the players do not begin game play in round 2until all of the slots in round 2 are filled.

Between the start and T₁, all of the eight players play the slot gameand attempt to reach the milestone in the slot game needed to obtain aslot in the second elimination game round. At time T₁, all of the slotsavailable for round 2 are filled, 5 players, P3, P5, P1, P7 and P8 haveearned a slot in round 2 in that order, i.e. P3 was the first player toearn a slot, P5 was the second player to earn a slot, etc. Threeplayers, P2, P4, and P6 were removed from the elimination game whenplayer P8 earned the last spot in the second elimination game round. Inthe second elimination game round, the remaining players, P3, P5, P1, P7and P8 play a pachinko game. The players compete to reach a pachinkogame milestone. When one of the players reaches the pachinko gamemilestone, the player obtains a slot in the third elimination gameround. As soon as the player obtains a slot in the third eliminationgame round, the player may begin game play in the third eliminationround, which is black jack, without waiting for the remaining slots inthe third elimination game round to be filled.

For instance, between times T₁ and T₂, players P3, P5, P1, P7 and P8,each play the pachinko game. At time T₂, player, P5, has reached thepachinko game milestone for the second elimination game round and begunblack jack game play in the third elimination game round while playersP3, P1, P7 and P8 compete for the remaining two slots in the thirdelimination game round. Between T₂ and the finish of the eliminationgame round, player P1 reaches the milestone in the second eliminationgame round while players P7 and P8 compete to obtain the third slot inthe third elimination game round and while player P5 attempts to obtainthe milestone in the third elimination game round and finish theelimination game.

Before P5 obtains the milestone in the third elimination game round andbefore either P7 and P8 obtain the milestone in the second eliminationgame round to earn the final slot in the third elimination game round,P1 obtains the milestone for the third elimination game round andreaches the finish of the elimination game. When P1 reaches the finishof the elimination game, P5, P7 and P8 are eliminated. P1 may earn anaward for finishing the elimination game. Although, when P1 is a virtualplayer, P1 may not actually receive the award. Further, the otherplayers may earn awards or prizes for their progress in the eliminationgame. For example, P3, P5, P1, P7, and P8, may earn an award forreaching the second elimination game round. In addition, Player, P5, mayearn an award for reaching the third elimination game round.

FIG. 3A-3D are block diagrams depicting a play of an elimination slotgame of the present invention on a display screen 300 of a game machine.The display screen 300 depicts the elimination game at 4 differentstages in the elimination game: 1) a start (FIG. 3A), 2) a first time inthe (FIG. 3B), 3) a second time (FIG. 3C) and 4) a finish (FIG. 3D). InFIG. 3A, an elimination game is initiated with 12 entities. In thisexample, which is provided for illustrative purposes only, the 12entities play a slot game. In the slot game play, a score is generatedfor each entity.

Twice within the elimination game, an elimination test is applied. Inthe first elimination test, the scores of the 12 entities in the slotgame are compared to each other and one fourth of the entities with thelowest scores are removed from the elimination game. In the secondelimination test, the scores of the 9 entities remaining in the slotgame are compared to each other and one third of the entities with thelowest scores are removed from the elimination game. Therefore, threeentities are removed the first time the elimination test is applied andthree entities are removed the second time the elimination test isapplied. After the second elimination test is applied, the remaining sixentities play the slot game. All of the remaining six entities reach thefinish of the elimination game and are ranked according to their scorein the slot game play.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a single player playing anelimination game on the gaming machine may control multiple entitiesenrolled in the elimination game. For example, the slot games, 304, 306,and 308 on display screen 300 may be controlled by a single player. Theslot games are played independently of one another. The outcomes of theslot games 304, 306 and 308 are used to generate scores for threedifferent entities enrolled in the elimination game. Therefore, thesingle player controls 3 of the 12 entities in the elimination game. Thesingle player may have to pay a participation fee that increasesaccording to the number of entities it controls. In a stand-alone game,the remaining 9 entities of the 12 entities in the elimination game maybe generated by the gaming machine as virtual players. In a linked game,the remaining 9 entities may be real players or combinations of realplayers and virtual players. Further in the linked elimination game,each real player in the linked elimination game may control one or moreentities. As described above, multiple players may also participate inthe elimination game as a single entity such as when team game play isused in the elimination game.

When the single player controls multiple entities in the eliminationgame, the single player may be able to make wagers based upon howcombinations of entities under their control perform in the eliminationgame or may receive higher awards based upon how combinations ofentities under their control perform in the elimination game. Forinstance, when any one of three entities controlled by the single playerreaches the finish of the elimination game, the single player may beprovided one award for each entity that completes the finish of theelimination game independent of the performance of the other twoentities. In this case, the awards may be no different than when threeseparate players control the three entities. Further, the single playermay receive an additional award for different combinations of how thethree entities under their control perform in the elimination game suchas but not limited to: 1) two of the three entities reach the finish ofthe elimination game generates a first award: 2) three out of threeentities reach the finish of elimination game generates a second award,and 3) two of the entities obtain the first highest score and the secondhighest score at the finish elimination game generates a third award. Inthis case, the awards are different than when three separate playerscontrol the three entities. These betting combinations are similar to aroulette game where a single player participating in the roulette gamemay make a wager on a single number or combinations of numbers in theroulette game.

In FIG. 3A, at the start of the elimination game, the performance ofeach entity in the elimination game is shown in a portion of the displayscreen 302 as a scoreboard. In the present example, the performanceshown in the portion of the display screen is a score in the eliminationgame. The scores of the three entities, 304, 306 and 308 controlled bythe single player are displayed as three white rectangles in 302. Theperformance of each of the entities in the elimination game may beregularly updated during the elimination game. For linked eliminationgames involving game play on multiple gaming machines, an eliminationgame server may combine scores generated on a number of different gamingmachines into a single scoreboard that displays the performance of eachplayer in the elimination game as is shown in 302. The scoreboard in 302is only one example of a scoreboard that may be used with the presentinvention and many different types of scoreboards with different formatsmay be employed with the present invention.

At time, t₁, in FIG. 3B, the scores in the slot game played by eachentity are displayed on the scoreboard in 302 just before the firstelimination test is applied. For the slot game play, the single playerthat controls three entities may have initiated slot game play for eachof three entities simultaneously. For instance, by pressing a singleinput button, the single player may play each of the three slot games.As another example, the player may press three separate input buttonswhere each input buttons initiates the slot game for a different entity.In the first elimination test, the three entities below the horizontalperformance line 310 on the scoreboard are removed from the eliminationgame. The scores of entities 304, 306 and 308 are all above theperformance line 310 and thus are not removed from the elimination game.After the first elimination test, for the next round of slot game play,the scores of all of the remaining entities may be reset to zero or theentities may start from their score in the previous round.

At time, t₂, in FIG. 3C, the scores in the slot game played by each ofthe remaining nine entities is displayed on the scoreboard in 302 justbefore the second elimination test is applied. In the second eliminationtest, the three entities below the performance line 310 on thescoreboard are removed from the elimination game. The scores of entities306 and 308 are above the line 310, and thus, are not removed from theelimination game. The score of entity 304 is below the line 310 andtherefore entity 304 is removed from the elimination game.

Between time t₂ and the finish of the elimination game, the remainingsix entities in the elimination game compete in additional slot gameplay. In FIG. 3D, the scores of each of the six entities in the slotgame play is shown on the scoreboard in the portion of the displayscreen 302. At the finish of the elimination game, entity 308 achievesthe highest score and is the winner of the elimination game. Therefore,entity 308 receives an award. Among other factors, the award amount forentity 308 for winning may be based upon odds of entity 308 winning theelimination game and the initial participation fee (e.g., a wager) thatwas made by the single player controlling entities 304, 306 and 308. Theodds in elimination game may be affected by a number of parameters suchas the number of entities competing in the elimination game.

FIG. 4A-4D are block diagrams depicting an example of elimination gamesplayed in a parallel for one embodiment of the present invention. In thepresent invention, multiple elimination games may be played in parallelon a gaming machine by a single player. In parallel play of eliminationgames, a player may enroll in a first elimination game and beginelimination game play for the first elimination game. Prior to thefinish of the first elimination game, the player may enroll in a secondelimination and begin play in the second elimination game.

The multiple elimination games may be displayed simultaneously on thedisplay screen of a gaming machine. The multiple elimination gamesplayed in parallel may be generated when the gaming machine is operatingin a stand-alone mode. Further, multiple elimination games, involvinggroups of gaming machines linked together, may be played by the playeron the gaming machine. For example, an elimination game server may beprovide a number of elimination games to one or more groups of gamingmachines that may be played in parallel. Details of parallel gameplaying methods that may be used with the present invention aredescribed in co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 09/553,437, filed onApr. 19, 2000, by Brosnan et al, “Entitled Parallel Games on a GamingMachine,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety andfor all purposes.

In another embodiment, a gaming machine may support stand-aloneelimination game play and elimination game play in parallel. Forinstance, the gaming machine may generate a first elimination game thatis played by the player and the gaming machine may communicate with theelimination game server that generates a second elimination game for agroup of players that is provided on the gaming machine. The player mayplay in parallel the first elimination game generated by the gamingmachine and the second elimination game generated by the eliminationgame server.

In yet another embodiment, on a gaming machine, a player may play inparallel elimination games and traditional video games of chance, suchas slot games and video poker games. For example, the player may enrollin an elimination game. Prior to reaching the finish of the eliminationgame or prior to being eliminated from the elimination game, the playermay play one or more slot games separate from the elimination game wherethe player makes a wager, initiates the game, plays the game and isnotified of the outcome of the game. Further, as was described withrespect to FIGS. 1A and 1B, the parallel game play may occur within thegame play of the games provided in the elimination game. For example,during the elimination game, the player may make a wager on a game ofchance such as a slot game, initiate the game, play the game and benotified of the outcome (e.g., an award amount) of the game where theoutcome of the game may be tied to an elimination test in theelimination game. The award amount for the slot game may be provided tothe player independently of their performance in the elimination game.

In FIGS. 4A-4D, elimination games played in parallel are displayed onthe display screen 400 of a gaming machine at four different times, t₁(FIG. 4A), t₂ (FIG. 4B), t₃ (FIG. 4C), and t₄ (FIG. 4D). At time t₁, theplayer enrolls in a first elimination game. The first elimination gameinvolves playing a slot game 405 with 12 other entities. A scoreboard404 for the first elimination game is displayed on the display screen400 where the performance of a first entity in the slot game 405 isdenoted by the first white rectangle on the scoreboard 404. The firstentity comprises the player playing the slot game 405 on the gamingmachine.

Between times t₁ and t₂, the player plays the slot game 405 in the firstelimination game. At time, t₂, an elimination test is applied in thefirst elimination game and six of the entities with a performance in theslot game below a performance line 410 on the scoreboard 404 are removedfrom the elimination game. The first entity, which controlled by theplayer, is not eliminated after the first elimination test.

While the player is participating in the first elimination game, at timet₂, the player enrolls in a second elimination game. The secondelimination game includes 12 entities. The game play in the secondelimination game uses a video pachinko game 406. A scoreboard 415 forthe second elimination game is shown on the display 400. A scoregenerated from the pachinko game 406 is shown as the first whiterectangle on the scoreboard 415. After enrolling in the secondelimination game, the player now controls a single entity in each of thefirst elimination game and second elimination game at the same time.Details of video pachinko game methods that may be used with the presentinvention are described in co-pending U.S. application Ser. No.09/553,438, filed on Apr. 19, 2000, by Brosnan et al. and titled, “VideoPachinko on a Video Platform as a Gaming Machine,” which is incorporatedherein in its entirety and for all purposes.

Between time t₂ and t₃, the player participates simultaneously in slotgame play 405 in the first elimination game and video pachinko game play406 in the second elimination game. At time t₃ (FIG. 4C), a secondelimination test is applied in the first elimination game and the playeris eliminated from the elimination game. In the second elimination test,the entities below the performance line 410 on the scoreboard 404 ondisplay 400 are removed from the elimination game. At time t₃, a firstelimination test is applied in the second elimination game. In the firstelimination test of the second elimination game, the entities below theperformance line 416 in the scoreboard 415 on display 400 are removedfrom the elimination game. In the second elimination game, 9 of the 12entities are removed from the second elimination game after the firstelimination test.

Between times t₃ and t₄, the player continues video pachinko game play406 and enrolls in a third elimination game which includes video pokergame play. At time t₄ (FIG. 4D), the player reaches the finish of thesecond elimination game. The player obtains the highest score at thefinish of the second elimination game and is declared the winner of thesecond elimination game. At t₄, the player has started play of the videopoker game 407 which is used for game play in the third eliminationgame. The player is playing the third elimination game with 11 otherentities. A scoreboard 420 for the third elimination is displayed on thedisplay screen 400.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are block diagrams of an example of voting used in anelimination game. The voting may be provided as part of game play in anelimination game and the results from the voting may be used as part ofan elimination test in the elimination game. In FIG. 5A, a displayscreen 410 on a gaming machine at two times, t₁ and t₂, is shown. At t₁,a player participating in the elimination game is requested to vote forremoval of one entity from the elimination game. When voting, a playermay have one or more votes. The entities in the elimination game arerepresented as people on an island. When the voting is provided in theelimination game as part of the game play, 16 entities are enrolled.Therefore, 16 people are represented on the island.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a scoreboard 414representing the scores of the sixteen entities in a game prior to thevote may be provided. The scores on the scoreboard 414 may be used toinfluence the vote of each entity. For example, depending on the rulesof the elimination game, entities may be influenced to vote to removelow scorers in the game play or to remove high scorers in the game play.In general, a scoreboard with indicators of performance during game playby the entities is not required for voting.

In other embodiments, each entity may randomly choose another entity forremoval from the elimination game. In one example, an entity may not beable to determine their own identity for the purposes of voting. In thiscase, the entity may be allowed to vote to remove themselves from theelimination game. In another example, the entity may not be allowed tovote to remove themselves from the elimination game even when theyunknowingly select themselves.

The identities of the players for the purposes of voting may be hiddento prevent groups of players from colluding to influence an outcome ofthe elimination game in elimination games involving linked gamingmachines. For example, the players working in collusion may try to voteother players not in their group out of the elimination game and thenshare any winnings among themselves. In some elimination games, teamplay may be part of the rules of the elimination game and collusionamong players may be allowed. However, in other elimination games, suchas single player games, team play may not be allowed. In eliminationgames played on stand-alone gaming machine, the issue of playerscolluding to influence the outcome of the elimination game is notimportant because collusion with other players is not possible.

To select an entity for removal, the player may use an input device onthe gaming machine such as a touch screen (See FIGS. 7-9 for descriptionof gaming machine hardware). For example, to vote for the removal of theentity with the score of 45 in the game play, the player may touch thescreen at this point on the display 410. After the player has touch thescreen, a symbol such as circle with a slash through it may be displayedto indicate the player's choice. The player may then be asked to confirmtheir choice. As another example, the player may touch a figure of aperson on the island on display 410 to vote for removal of the person.The player may also use other input devices on the gaming machine suchas input buttons to select the entity for removal from the eliminationgame.

The player may be required to vote within a certain amount of time. Acountdown timer may be provided on the display 410 to indicate the timeremaining for the player to vote. When the player does not vote withinthe allotted time, the player may lose their vote or the gaming machinemay generate a vote for them.

Between times t₁ and t₂, all of the entities vote and elimination testusing results from the vote is applied to the 16 entities in theelimination game. At t₂, the scoreboard 416 indicates the entitiesremoved from the elimination game based upon conditions used in theelimination test that was applied. At least one of the conditions in theelimination test used the vote totals. As described with respect to FIG.1A, an elimination test may use a plurality of conditions. Therefore,the vote totals may be one of many conditions used in the eliminationtest.

After the vote and the application of the elimination test, 6 entitiesout of the 16 entities are removed from the elimination game. Theentities are shown as removed figures from the island on the displayscreen 410. Also, a circle with a slash is placed on the scoreboard 416over the scores of all of the entities removed from the eliminationgame. The player using the display 410 on the gaming machine has notbeen removed and the player is notified with a message “you survived” onthe display screen 410 to indicate the player has not been removed.

In FIG. 5B, 4 entities enrolled in an elimination game using linkedgaming machines are provided with an opportunity to vote for the removalof one of the entities from the elimination game. Four display screens,600, 601, 602 and 603, are shown. The four display screens each resideon a separate gaming machines and include a visual interface that may beused in a voting process.

The four gaming machines with display screens 600, 601, 602 and 603communicate with an elimination game controller 605 via a networkconnection of some type (See FIG. 8 for more network details). Theelimination game controller 605 may be a component in an eliminationgame server that provides elimination games to a plurality of gamingmachines. The plurality of gaming machines may include the additionalgaming machines 615. When the elimination game server is a gamingmachine, the elimination game controller may be a master gamingcontroller on the gaming machine (see FIG. 7).

The elimination game server with the elimination game controller 605receives the voting selections from the gaming machines participating inthe elimination game. The elimination game controller 605 tallies thevotes and applies an elimination test using at least the vote tallies.The results of the elimination test may then be sent to the gamingmachines participating in the elimination game. For example, when theoutcome of the elimination test is determined, the elimination gamecontroller 605 may update the scoreboards 606, 608, 610 and 612 on thefour gaming machines with the display screens 600, 601, 602 and 603. Theelimination game controller 605 may remove the eliminated entities fromthe elimination game. Further, the elimination game controller 605 maydirect the gaming machines with entities that have been eliminated 1) toremove the entities from the elimination game and 2) to notify theplayers on the gaming machines of the entities status in the game.

The elimination game includes 16 entities and each entity is representedas a figure on the display screens. The entities may be asked to selectone of the 16 entities represented on the scoreboards 606, 608, 610 and612 for elimination. The same 16 entities are represented on each of thescoreboards 606, 608, 610 and 612. However, a position of each entity onthe scoreboards varies from scoreboard to scoreboard. The positions onthe scoreboard may be randomized to prevent other players, such as onadjacent gaming machines, from determining which entities they areselecting for elimination and therefore work in collusion.

The vote selections on the four displays are as follows. On display 600,the entity with a 45 on the scoreboard 606 is selected. On display 601,the entity with the score of 45 on scoreboard 606 is also selected forelimination. On display 602, the entity with a score of 300 is selectedfor elimination and on display 603, the entity with a score of 67 isselected for elimination. Therefore, in some embodiments, an entity mayreceive multiple votes. In other embodiments, an entity may receive onlya single vote. In one embodiment, the selection may be a vote forelimination from the elimination game. In another embodiment, theselection may be a vote for non-elimination from the elimination game.Further, the entities may receive a plurality of votes where some of thevotes may be used to determine elimination and other votes may be usedto determine non-elimination from the elimination game.

FIG. 6 is block diagram of an example of an elimination gameincorporating team play. Two gaming machines 700 and 701 with displayscreen 702 and 703 are connected to the elimination game controller 605.Additional, gaming machines (not shown) may also be connected to theelimination game controller 605.

In the elimination game on the display screen 702 and 703, the entitiesin the elimination game are divided into two teams. The game played bythe two teams is dodge ball. The two teams comprise a number of players.The players on each team may be combinations of real players and virtualplayers. The players playing on gaming machines 700 and 701 may be onthe same team or on different teams. In one embodiment, dodge ball gamesinvolving more than two teams may be implemented with the presentinvention. For instance, the entities may be divided into four teamswhere each of the four teams occupies a corner of the playing field.

During the elimination game, a player selects another player on the teamopposite them for elimination. The selected player has a finiteprobability of being eliminated during an elimination test. When theconditions of the elimination test are met, a ball or some other objectis thrown by a player on one of the teams and the ball is shown hittingthe selected player on the other team. The hit player is removed fromthe playing surface such as player 704 on display screen 702. When theconditions of the elimination test are not met, a ball is thrown by aplayer on one of the teams, the ball is misses the selected player andthe selected player may be shown dodging the ball. Further, a player oneteam may be selected for elimination by multiple players and multipleballs may be shown hitting the player selected multiple times. Inanother embodiment of the present invention, the players may throw foodat one another such as pies instead of balls.

The selection process and subsequent elimination process may occur in anasynchronous manner where the players on each team may be throwing theballs at different times. In one embodiment, the players may be able tothrow one ball per allotted time period but may throw a ball at any timeduring the time period. The display screen may flash each time theplayer is allowed to launch a ball.

To finish the dodge ball game, the team that eliminates all of theplayers on other team first is the declared the winner. In oneembodiment of the present invention, only the players that remain on thewinning team at the end of the game are provided with an award amount.In another embodiment of the present invention, all of the players onthe winning team that were in the elimination game at the start of theelimination game are provided an award amount even if they were removedfrom the elimination game prior to end of the elimination game.Although, the award amount for the players removed prior to the end ofthe elimination game may be less than the award amount for the playersthat reach the finish of the elimination game. In another embodiment,the award amount given to each player on the winning team may beproportional to an amount of players they hit on the losing team duringthe elimination game.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of networked gaming machines and gamingdevices that provide stand-alone elimination game play, linkedelimination game play and progressive elimination games for oneembodiment of the present invention. A master gaming controller 224 isused to present one or more games of chance on the gaming machines 61,62 and 63. The master gaming controller 224 may also act as anelimination game controller. As an elimination game controller, themaster gaming controller 224 may be used to generate elimination gameson one (e.g., stand-alone elimination game) or more gaming machines(e.g., linked elimination game). In one embodiment, the elimination gamemay be generated as a bonus elimination game to the one or more games ofchance played on the gaming machines, such as 61, 62 and 63.

For a bonus elimination game involving a plurality of linked gamingmachines, an elimination game server 90 with an elimination gamecontroller 92 may be used to generate the outcome of the bonuselimination game which is displayed on the plurality of gaming machinessuch as 61, 62 and 63. The outcomes of the bonus elimination games andother linked elimination games may be based upon game play generated onthe plurality of gaming machines in communication with the eliminationgame server 90. The elimination game server 90 may use game play resultsfrom the plurality of gaming machines to apply elimination tests used inthe elimination games. Further, the elimination game server may use gameplay results from each gaming machine to regularly update an eliminationgame scoreboard (see FIGS. 3A-3D) during the course of the play of theelimination game. As described with respect to FIGS. 4A-4D, theelimination game server 90 or a gaming machine, such 61, 62 and 63, mayprovided a plurality of elimination games in parallel i.e. at the sametime.

The outcomes of the elimination tests may be sent to the gaming machinesin communication with the elimination game server 90. The gamingmachines may receive the outcomes of the elimination tests and generatea presentation outcome for the elimination test results. For instance,when one of the gaming machines receives a message from the eliminationgame server that the player participating in the elimination game fromthe gaming machine has been eliminated from the elimination game, thegaming machine may generate a presentation outcome that corresponds tothe player being removed from the elimination game. In one embodiment,the elimination game server 90 may generate the presentation outcome forthe elimination game and send it directly to the gaming machine. Inother embodiments, the gaming machines generate the presentationoutcomes for various events in the elimination game based uponinformation received from the elimination game server.

The master gaming controller 224 executes a number of gaming softwaremodules to operate gaming devices 70, such as coin hoppers, billvalidators, coin acceptors, speakers, printers, lights, displays (e.g.34) and other input/output mechanisms (see FIGS. 8 and 9). The mastergaming controller 224 may also execute gaming software enablingcommunications with gaming devices located outside of the gamingmachines 61, 62 and 63, such as elimination game servers (e.g., 90),elimination game progressive servers (e.g., 82), player trackingservers, bonus game servers, game servers, progressive game servers. Insome embodiments, communications with devices located outside of thegaming machines may be performed using the main communication board 215and network connections 71. The network connections 71 may allowcommunications with remote gaming devices via a local area network, anintranet, the Internet or combinations thereof. The elimination gameserver 90 may also communicate with a number of game devices via thenetwork connections 71 such as but not limited to the gaming machines61, 62 and 63, the elimination game progressive server 82 and the remotegaming machines 64 and 65.

The gaming machines 61, 62 and 63 may use gaming software modules togenerate a game of chance and an elimination game of chance that may bedistributed between local file storage devices and remote file storagedevices. For example, to play a elimination game on gaming machine 61,the master gaming controller may load gaming software modules into RAM56 that may be may be located in 1) a file storage device 226 on gamingmachine 61, 2) an elimination game server 90, 3) a file storage device226 on gaming machine 62, 4) a file storage device 226 on gaming machine63, or 5) combinations thereof. In one embodiment of the presentinvention, the gaming operating system may allow files stored on thelocal file storage devices and remote file storage devices to be used aspart of a shared file system where the files on the remote file storagedevices are remotely mounted to the local file system. The file storagedevices may be a hard-drive, CD-ROM, CD-DVD, static RAM, flash memory,EPROM's, compact flash, smart media, disk-on-chip, removable media (e.g.ZIP drives with ZIP disks, floppies or combinations thereof. For bothsecurity and regulatory purposes, gaming software executed on the gamingmachines 61, 62 and 63 by the master gaming controllers 224 may beregularly verified by comparing software stored in RAM 56 for executionon the gaming machines with certified copies of the software stored onthe gaming machine (e.g. files may be stored on file storage device226), accessible to the gaming machine via a remote communicationconnection.

The elimination game server 90 may also be a repository for gamesoftware modules and software for other game services provided on thegaming machines 61, 62 and 63. In one embodiment of the presentinvention, the gaming machines 61, 62 and 63 may download game softwaremodules from the elimination game server 90 to a local file storagedevice to play a game of chance or an elimination game. The download ofgame software may be initiated by the elimination game server 90. Oneexample of a game server that may be used with the present invention isdescribed in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/042,192,filed on Jun. 16, 2000, entitled “Using a Gaming Machine as a Server”which is incorporated herein in its entirety and for all purposes. Inanother example, the game server might also be a dedicated computer or aservice running on a server with other application programs.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the processors used togenerate a game of chance or an elimination game may be distributedamong different machines. For instance, the game flow logic to play anelimination game may be executed on the elimination game server 90 bythe elimination game controller 92 while the game presentation logic forthe elimination game may be executed on gaming machines 61, 62 and 63 bythe master gaming controllers 224. The gaming operating systems ongaming machines 61, 62 and 63 and the elimination game server 90 mayallow gaming events to be communicated between different gaming softwaremodules executing on different gaming machines via defined APIs. Thus, agame flow software module executed on the elimination game server 90 maysend gaming events to a game presentation software module executed ongaming machine 61, 62 or 63 to control the play of a game of chance, tocontrol the play of a bonus game of chance, to control the play of anelimination game or to control the play of an elimination bonus gamepresented on gaming machines 61, 62 and 63. As another example, thegaming machines 61, 62 and 63 may send gaming events to one another vianetwork connection 71 to control the play of the shared eliminationbonus game played simultaneously on the different gaming machines.

As described with respect to FIGS. 1A and 1B, progressive jackpots maybe awarded as part of an elimination game. The progressive jackpots maybe funded by groups of gaming machines of various sizes. For example, agroup of gaming machines connected together in a casino may fund aprogressive jackpot in an elimination game. As another example, gamingmachines distributed over many gaming properties may be used to fund aprogressive jackpot in an elimination game.

In FIG. 7, an elimination game progressive server 82 is connected togaming machine 61, 62 and 63 and the remote gaming machine 64 and 64 viaa wide area progressive network 81. The elimination game progressiveserver 82 may also contain an elimination game controller and provideelimination games to the gaming machines in communication with theelimination game progressive server. A portion of the participation feesfor elimination games played at the gaming machines in communicationwith the elimination game progressive server 82 may be used to fund aprogressive jackpot. The amount of the elimination game progressivejackpot may be continually updated by the elimination game progressiveserver. Further, the amount of the elimination game progressive jackpotmay be displayed on the gaming machines in communication withelimination game progressive server or may be displayed on a displaydevice near the gaming machines.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a gaming machine 2 of the presentinvention. Common reference numerals used in FIGS. 7 and 9 are used. Amaster gaming controller 224 controls the operation of the variousgaming devices and the game presentation (e.g., games of chance, bonusgame of chance, elimination games and bonus elimination games) on thegaming machine 2. The master gaming controller 224 may communicate withother remote gaming devices such as remote servers via a maincommunication board 215 and network connection 214. The master gamingcontroller 224 may also communicate other gaming devices via a wirelesscommunication link 242. The wireless communication link may use awireless communication standard such as but not limited to IEEE 802.11a,IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11x (e.g. another IEEE 802.11 standard such as802.11c or 802.11e), hyperlan/2, Bluetooth™ and HomeRF.

Using a game code and graphic libraries stored on the gaming machine 2,the master gaming controller 224 generates a game presentation which ispresented on the displays 34 and 42. The game presentation may be for atraditional game of chance or for an elimination game. The gamepresentation is typically a sequence of frames updated at a rate of 75Hz (75 frames/sec). For instance, for a video slot game, the gamepresentation may include a sequence of frames of slot reels with anumber of symbols in different positions. When the sequence of frames ispresented, the slot reels appear to be spinning to a player playing agame on the gaming machine. The final game presentation frames in thesequence of the game presentation frames are the final position of thereels. Based upon the final position of the reels on the video display34, a player is able to visually determine the outcome of the game. Thisvideo slot game presentation may be used as part of the game play in anelimination game played on the gaming machine 2.

Each frame in sequence of frames in a game presentation is temporarilystored in a video memory 236 located on the master gaming controller 224or alternatively on the video controller 237. The gaming machine 2 mayalso include a video card (not shown) with a separate memory andprocessor for performing graphic functions on the gaming machine.Typically, the video memory 236 includes 1 or more frame buffers thatstore frame data that is sent by the video controller 237 to the display34 or the display 42. The frame buffer is in video memory directlyaddressable by the video controller. The video memory and videocontroller may be incorporated into a video card which is connected tothe processor board containing the master gaming controller 224. Theframe buffer may consist of RAM, VRAM, SRAM, SDRAM, MRAM, etc.

The frame data stored in the frame buffer provides pixel data (imagedata) specifying the pixels displayed on the display screen. In oneembodiment, the video memory includes 3 frame buffers. The master gamingcontroller 224, according to the game code, may generate each frame inone of the frame buffers by updating the graphical components of theprevious frame stored in the buffer. Thus, when only a minor change ismade to the frame compared to a previous frame, only the portion of theframe that has changed from the previous frame stored in the framebuffer is updated. For example, in one position of the screen, a 2 ofhearts may be substituted for a king of spades. This minimizes theamount of data that must be transferred for any given frame. Thegraphical component updates to one frame in the sequence of frames (e.g.a fresh card drawn in a video poker game) in the game presentation maybe performed using various graphic libraries stored on the gamingmachine. This approach is typically employed for the rendering of 2-Dgraphics. For 3-D graphics, the entire screen is typically regeneratedfor each frame.

Pre-recorded frames stored on the gaming machine may be displayed usingvideo “streaming”. In video streaming, a sequence of pre-recorded framesstored on the gaming machine is streamed through frame buffer on thevideo controller 237 to one or more of the displays. For instance, aframe corresponding to a movie stored on the game partition 223 of thehard drive 226, on a CD-ROM or some other storage device may be streamedto the displays 34 and 42 as part of game presentation. Thus, the gamepresentation may include frames graphically rendered in real-time usingthe graphics libraries stored on the gaming machine as well aspre-rendered frames stored on the gaming machine 2.

For gaming machines, an important function is the ability to store andre-display historical game play information. The game history providedby the game history information assists in settling disputes concerningthe results of game play. A dispute may occur, for instance, when aplayer believes an award for a game outcome has not properly credited tohim by the gaming machine. The dispute may arise for a number of reasonsincluding a malfunction of the gaming machine, a power outage causingthe gaming machine to reinitialize itself and a misinterpretation of thegame outcome by the player. In the case of a dispute, an attendanttypically arrives at the gaming machine and places the gaming machine ina game history mode. In the game history mode, important game historyinformation about the game in dispute can be retrieved from anon-volatile storage 234 on the gaming machine and displayed in somemanner to a display on the gaming machine. In some embodiments, gamehistory information may also be stored to a history database partition221 on the hard drive 226. The hard drive 226 is only one example of amass storage device that may be used with the present invention. Thegame history information is used to reconcile the dispute.

During the game presentation, the master gaming controller 224 mayselect and may capture certain frames to provide a game history. Thesedecisions are made in accordance with particular game code executed bycontroller 224. The captured frames may be incorporated into gamehistory frames. Typically, one or more frames critical to the gamepresentation are captured. For instance, in a video slot gamepresentation, a game presentation frame displaying the final position ofthe reels is captured. In a video blackjack game, a frame correspondingto the initial cards of the player and dealer, frames corresponding tointermediate hands of the player and dealer and a frame corresponding tothe final hands of the player and the dealer may be selected andcaptured as specified by the master gaming controller 224.

Various gaming software modules used to play different types of games ofchance may be stored on the hard drive 226. Each game may be stored inits own directory to facilitate installing new games (and removing olderones) in the field. To install a new game, a utility may be used tocreate the directory and copy the necessary files to the hard drive 226.To remove a game, a utility may be used remove the directory thatcontains the game and its files. In each game directory there may bemany subdirectories to organize the information. Some of the gaminginformation in the game directories are: 1) a game process and itsassociated gaming software modules, 2) graphics/Sound files/Phrase(s),3) a paytable file and 4) a configuration file. A similar directorystructure may also be created in the NV-memory 234. Further, each gamemay have its own directory in the non-volatile memory file structure toallow the non-volatile memory for each game to be installed and removedas needed.

FIG. 9 is a perspective drawing of a gaming machine 2 with a top box 6and other devices. Machine 2 includes a main cabinet 4, which generallysurrounds the machine interior (not shown) and is viewable by users. Themain cabinet 4 includes a main door 8 on the front of the machine, whichopens to provide access to the interior of the machine. Attached to themain door are player-input switches or buttons 32, a coin acceptor 28,and a bill validator 30, a coin tray 38, and a belly glass 40. Viewablethrough the main door is a video display monitor 34 and an informationpanel 36. The display monitor 34 will typically be a cathode ray tube,high resolution flat-panel LCD, or other conventional electronicallycontrolled video monitor. The information panel 36 may be a back-lit,silk screened glass panel with lettering to indicate general gameinformation including, for example, the number of coins played. Manypossible games of chance, including slot games, poker games, pachinkogames, multiple hand poker games, pai-gow poker games, black jack games,keno games, bingo games, roulette games, craps games and card games maybe played on the gaming machine. These games may also be used as part ofgame play in the elimination games of the present invention. In additionbonus games of chance and elimination bonus games may be provided withthe present invention.

The bill validator 30, coin acceptor 28, player-input switches 32, videodisplay monitor 34, and information panel are devices used to play agame on the game machine 2. The devices are controlled by a mastergaming controller (see FIG. 8) housed inside the main cabinet 4 of themachine 2. In the operation of these devices, critical information maybe generated that is stored within a non-volatile memory storage device234 (See FIG. 8) located within the gaming machine 2. For instance, whencash or credit of indicia is deposited into the gaming machine using thebill validator 30 or the coin acceptor 28, an amount of cash or creditdeposited into the gaming machine 2 may be stored within thenon-volatile memory storage device 234. As another example, whenimportant game information, such as the final position of the slot reelsin a video slot game, is displayed on the video display monitor 34, gamehistory information needed to recreate the visual display of the slotreels may be stored in the non-volatile memory storage device. The typeof information stored in the non-volatile memory may be dictated by therequirements of operators of the gaming machine and regulationsdictating operational requirements for gaming machines in differentgaming jurisdictions

The gaming machine 2 includes a top box 6, which sits on top of the maincabinet 4. The top box 6 houses a number of devices, which may be usedto add features to a game being played on the gaming machine 2,including speakers 10, 12, 14, a ticket printer 18 which printsbar-coded tickets 20, a key pad 22 for entering player trackinginformation, a florescent display 16 for displaying player trackinginformation and a card reader 24 for entering a magnetic striped cardcontaining player tracking information.

The top box 6 may house different or additional devices than shown inthe FIG. 9. For example, the top box may contain a bonus wheel 44 or aback-lit silk screened panel which may be used to add bonus features tothe game being played on the gaming machine. During a game, thesedevices are controlled and powered, in part, by the master gamingcontroller housed within the main cabinet 4 of the machine 2.

The bonus wheel 44 may be used as part of an elimination game. The bonuswheel include various tiles that allow a player to advance or to beeliminated in elimination games. A spin of the wheel may be used as partof the elimination game played on the gaming machine 2. For example, anelimination test may be implemented on the bonus wheel 44 where apercentage of the tiles allow the player to advance to the nextelimination game and a percentage of the tiles eliminate the player fromthe elimination game. Thus, the outcome of the elimination test may bedetermined by the player from a final position of the wheel after it hasbeen spun.

Understand that gaming machine 2 is but one example from a wide range ofgaming machine designs on which the present invention may beimplemented. For example, not all suitable gaming machines have topboxes or player tracking features. Further, some gaming machines haveonly a single game display—mechanical or video, while others aredesigned for bar tables and have displays that face upwards. As anotherexample, a game may be generated in on a host computer and may bedisplayed on a remote terminal or a remote gaming device. The remotegaming device may be connected to the host computer via a network ofsome type such as a local area network, a wide area network, an intranetor the Internet. The remote gaming device may be a portable gamingdevice such as but not limited to a cell phone, a personal digitalassistant, and a wireless game player. Images rendered from 3-D gamingenvironments may be displayed on portable gaming devices that are usedto play a game of chance. Further a gaming machine or server may includegaming logic for commanding a remote gaming device to render an imagefrom a virtual camera in a 3-D gaming environments stored on the remotegaming device and to display the rendered image on a display located onthe remote gaming device. Thus, those of skill in the art willunderstand that the present invention, as described below, can bedeployed on most any gaming machine now available or hereafterdeveloped.

Returning to the example of FIG. 13, when a user wishes to play thegaming machine 2, he or she inserts cash through the coin acceptor 28 orbill validator 30. Additionally, the bill validator may accept a printedticket voucher which may be accepted by the bill validator 30 as anindicia of credit. The indicia of credit may be used to provide aparticipation fee in the elimination games of the present invention.During the game, the player typically views game information and gameplay using the video display 34 and the secondary display 42. In oneembodiment, the secondary display may be used to display a scoreboard(see FIGS. 3A-3D) that is used in the elimination game. Further, thesecondary display may be used to display the outcome of an eliminationtest applied in the elimination game.

During the course of a game, a player may be required to make a numberof decisions, which affect the outcome of the game. For example, aplayer may vary his or her wager on a particular game, select a prizefor a particular game, or make game decisions which affect the outcomeof a particular game. The player may make these choices using theplayer-input switches 32, the video display screen 34 with a touchscreen or using some other device which enables a player to inputinformation into the gaming machine. For example, the player may use thetouch screen to select other entities enrolled in the elimination gamefor removal during elimination game play on the gaming machine. Certainplayer choices may be captured by player tracking software loaded in amemory inside of the gaming machine. For example, the rate at which aplayer plays a game or the amount a player bets on each game may becaptured by the player tracking software. The player tracking softwaremay utilize the non-volatile memory storage device to store thisinformation.

During certain game events, the gaming machine 2 may display visual andauditory effects that can be perceived by the player. These effects addto the excitement of a game, which makes a player more likely tocontinue playing. Auditory effects include various sounds that areprojected by the speakers 10, 12, 14. Visual effects include flashinglights, strobing lights or other patterns displayed from lights on thegaming machine 2 or from lights behind the belly glass 40. After theplayer has completed a game, the player may receive coins or game tokensfrom the coin tray 38 or the ticket 20 from the printer 18, which may beused for further games or to redeem a prize. Further, the player mayreceive a ticket 20 for food, merchandise, or games from the printer 18.

Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail forpurposes of clarity of understanding, it will be apparent that certainchanges and modifications may be practiced within the scope of theappended claims. For instance, while the gaming machines of thisinvention have been depicted as having a display screen physicallyviewed through a vertical glass panel attached to a main gaming machinecabinet, the use of gaming devices in accordance with this invention isnot so limited. For example, the display screen features may be providedon a table top gaming machine where the display screen is viewed througha horizontal glass panel.

1. A method of providing an elimination game on one or more gamingmachines, the method comprising: enrolling a plurality of entities forthe elimination game wherein each entity includes one or more players;receiving a participation fee for the elimination game from at least oneplayer; between a start of the elimination game and a finish of theelimination game, generating at least one elimination game round, theone elimination game round including: (a) providing a game that isplayed by a number of the plurality of entities; (b) based upon resultsof the game in which the input from all entities affects the game playin the elimination game, applying an elimination test to each entity ofthe number of plurality of entities; and (c) for each entity of thenumber of plurality of entities, when one or more conditions of theelimination test are met, removing the entity from the elimination gamebefore the entity has reached the finish of the elimination game; andindicating a finishing award to the last remaining entity that hasreached the finish of the elimination game.
 2. The method according toclaim 1 wherein the steps (a), (b) and (c) are executed by anelimination game controller, the elimination game controller housedwithin one of the one or more gaming machines displaying the eliminationgame, said controller designed or configured to control operation of theelimination game on said one gaming machine and on other gaming machinesdisplaying the elimination game.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein eachof the plurality of entities includes a single player.
 4. The method ofclaim 1, wherein one or more of the players is a virtual player.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, wherein a first entity includes a single player and asecond entity includes a plurality of players.
 6. The method of claim 1,wherein each of the plurality of entities includes a plurality ofplayers.
 7. The method of claim 6, further including: (a) providing agame that is played by each player; (b) based upon results of the game,applying an elimination test to each of the players; (c) when one ormore conditions of the elimination test are met, removing the playerfrom the elimination game before the player has reached the finish ofthe elimination game.
 8. The method of claim 7, further including:removing one player in the plurality of players of a first entity fromthe elimination game and not removing the first entity from theelimination game.
 9. The method of claim 8, further including: afterremoving the one player in the first entity, providing a game that isplayed by a number of players remaining in the first entity; andindicating an award for the number of players remaining in the firstentity and the one removed player.
 10. The method of claim 8, furtherincluding: after removing the one player in the first entity, providinga game that is played by a number of players remaining in the firstentity; and indicating an award for the number of players remaining inthe first entity.
 11. The method of claim 7, further including: removinga first player in the plurality of players of a first entity from theelimination game and removing the first entity from the eliminationgame.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the participation fee is awager on an outcome of the elimination game.
 13. The method of claim 1,wherein the participation fee is a buy-in for an elimination gametournament.
 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the participation fee isa wager for a game of chance played on one of the gaming machines andwherein the elimination game is a bonus game triggered from the game ofchance.
 15. The method of claim 1, wherein the participation fee to playthe elimination game increases as a number of players in an entityincreases.
 16. The method of claim 1, wherein a single player controlsmultiple entities in the elimination game.
 17. The method of claim 16,wherein the participation fee increases as the number of entities aplayer controls increases.
 18. The method of claim 1, wherein theelimination game is a bonus game for a game of chance played on one ormore the gaming machine.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the game ofchance is selected from the group consisting of slot games, poker games,pachinko games, multiple hand poker games, pai-gow poker games, blackjack games, keno games, bingo games, roulette games, craps games andcard games.
 20. The method of claim 1, further including: selecting atotal number of entities at the start of the elimination game; enrollinga number of real entities; and enrolling a number of virtual entitieswherein the total number of entities is equal to the number of enrolledreal entities and the number of enrolled virtual entities.
 21. Themethod of claim 20, wherein the total number of entities selected at thestart of the elimination game increases the probability of reaching thefinish of the elimination game for one or more of the entities.
 22. Themethod of claim 20, wherein the total number of entities selected at thestart of the elimination game decreases the probability of reaching thefinish of the elimination game for one or more of the entities.
 23. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the first entity is added back into theelimination game for an additional participation fee.
 24. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the number of plurality of entities in the at least oneelimination game round is all of the plurality of entities enrolled inthe elimination game.
 25. The method of claim 1, wherein the number ofplurality of entities in the at least one elimination game round is asubset of the plurality of entities enrolled in the elimination game.26. The method of claim 1, wherein the elimination game includes aplurality of elimination game rounds.
 27. The method of claim 26,further including: in a first elimination game round, applying theelimination test to all of the number of plurality of entities;determining a number of remaining entities in the elimination game; andadvancing simultaneously, the remaining entities to a next eliminationgame round.
 28. The method of claim 26, further including: in a firstelimination game round with at least a first entity and a second entity,applying the elimination test to a first entity; advancing the firstentity to a next elimination game round; while the second entity isplaying a first game in the first elimination game round, providing asecond game that is played by the first entity in the next eliminationgame round.
 29. The method of claim 26, further including: in a firstelimination game round, providing a first game that is played by a firstentity; and in a second elimination game round, providing a second gamethat is played by the first entity.
 30. The method of claim 1, furtherincluding: generating an outcome for a first game played by a firstentity; and indicating an award amount for the first game; storing theaward amount; and when the first entity reaches a stage in theelimination game, awarding the stored award amount to the first entity.31. The method of claim 30, wherein the stage in the elimination game isthe finish of the elimination game.
 32. The method of claim 30, whereinthe stage in the elimination game is the finish of one of theelimination game rounds.
 33. The method of claim 1, further including:generating an outcome for a plurality of games played by the firstentity; indicating an award amount for each of the plurality of gamesaccumulating the award amounts for the plurality of games; when thefirst entity reaches a stage in the elimination game, awarding theaccumulated award amount to the first entity.
 34. The method of claim33, wherein the stage in the elimination game is the finish of theelimination game.
 35. The method of claim 33, wherein the stage in theelimination game is the finish of one of the elimination game rounds.36. The method of claim 1, further including: applying the eliminationtest to a first entity in one of the elimination game rounds; and whenthe first entity is not removed from the elimination game, indicating anaward amount.
 37. The method of claim 36, further including: storing theaward amount; and when the first entity reaches a stage in theelimination game, awarding the stored award amount to the first entity.38. The method of claim 37, wherein the stage in the elimination game isthe finish of the elimination game.
 39. The method of claim 37, whereinthe stage in the elimination game is the finish of one of theelimination game rounds.
 40. The method of claim 1, further including:during one of the elimination game rounds, indicating an award amountfor a first entity; offering the first entity a chance to bank the awardamount and to exit the elimination game.
 41. The method of claim 40,further including: receiving a request from the first entity to bank theaward amount; banking the award amount to the first entity; and removingthe first entity from the elimination game.
 42. The method of claim 40,further including: receiving a request from the first entity to continuein the elimination game; and continuing the elimination game for thefirst entity.
 43. The method of claim 1, further including: adding aportion of the participation fee to a progressive jackpot.
 44. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the finishing award includes a portion of theparticipation fee.
 45. The method of claim 1, wherein the finishingaward includes a progressive jackpot.
 46. The method of claim 1, furtherincluding: receiving a wager separate from the participation fee from afirst entity on an outcome of a game provided to the first entity in theat least one elimination game round; determining the outcome of thegame; indicating an award amount based upon the outcome of the game; andproviding the award amount to the first entity.
 47. The method of claim1, wherein the game that is played by each entity is selected from thegroup consisting of slot games, poker games, pachinko games, multiplehand poker games, pai-gow poker games, black jack games, keno games,bingo games, roulette games, craps games and card games.
 48. The methodof claim 1, further including: in the game that is played by eachentity, allowing a first entity to select a second entity for removalfrom the elimination game.
 49. The method of claim 48, wherein a firstcondition of the elimination test for the second entity is to compare arandom number to an elimination probability and when the random numberis less than the elimination probability, the first condition is met.50. The method of claim 48, wherein the elimination probability is 1.51. The method of claim 1, wherein a first condition for the eliminationtest for a first entity is to compare a random number to an eliminationprobability and when the random number is less than the eliminationprobability, the first condition of the elimination test is met.
 52. Themethod of claim 51, wherein the elimination probability is in the rangeof 0 to
 1. 53. The method of claim 51, wherein the eliminationprobability is about ½.
 54. The method of claim 1, wherein a firstcondition of the elimination test for a first entity is to compare aperformance metric of the game played by the first entity with a fixedperformance metric and when the performance metric is less than thefixed performance metric, the first condition is met.
 55. The method ofclaim 54, further including: prior to the play of the game by the firstentity, selecting the fixed performance metric.
 56. The method of claim1, wherein the elimination test applied to each entity is the same. 57.The method of claim 1, wherein the elimination test applied to a firstentity is different than the elimination test applied to a secondentity.
 58. The method of claim 1, wherein the elimination test isapplied to a first entry a plurality of times.
 59. The method of claim58, wherein the conditions of the elimination test are the same eachtime the elimination test is applied.
 60. The method of claim 58,wherein the conditions of the elimination test vary each time theelimination test is applied.
 61. The method of claim 58, wherein theelimination test is applied at timed intervals.
 62. The method of claim1, further including: displaying the elimination game on a displayscreen of a first gaming machine.
 63. The method of claim 1, furtherincluding: displaying the elimination game on a display screen of afirst gaming machine and displaying the elimination game on a displayscreen on a second gaming machine.
 64. The method of claim 1, furtherincluding: providing a first game that is played by a first entity on afirst gaming machine; providing a second game that is played by a secondentity on a second gaming machine; displaying the first game and thesecond game on a display screen on the first gaming machine; anddisplaying the first game and the second game on a display screen on thesecond gaming machine.
 65. The method of claim 1, wherein the finishingaward includes a non-cash prize.